overgrown
adjective
over·grown
ˌō-vər-ˈgrōn 
: grown abnormally or excessively large
dismissed him as an overgrown adolescent
Examples of overgrown in a Sentence
The garden is overgrown with weeds.
He acts like an overgrown child.
Recent Examples on the Web
In Maremma, traveling by horse was the customary way — long the only way — to navigate the dense and swampy territory, and the old horse trails endure, cutting through secluded woods and overgrown fields, past vineyards, farmland and the occasional quaint medieval village rising among the hills.
—
Laura Rysman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023
Suspicion: Chagrin Boulevard A caller at the Moreland Hills Town Center reported that a man was sitting in bushes and overgrown grass with an open can next to him around 9:30 p.m. Sept. 3.
—Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 9 Sep. 2023
As land managers seek new tools to deal with the threat of catastrophic wildfires, which is rising in the West as the planet warms and Americans build more homes near overgrown forests and other vulnerable places, the days of lookouts might be numbered.
—Raymond Zhong Mark Felix, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2023
Coppola suggests that she was always treated as an outsider and that Elvis was an overgrown boy who often preferred to goof off with his buddies than spend time with her.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Sep. 2023
On this peaceful riverbank, where overgrown weeds sway around a makeshift venue, Japanese soldiers killed dozens of men execution style, according to accounts collected by Housenka, a civic group that’s been organizing the anniversary event since 1982.
—Takehiko Kambayashi, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2023
But Canada’s woodlands changed with industrial techniques that extinguished fires with full force, resulting in more overgrown, homogenous, and flammable landscapes.
—Omar Mouallem, WIRED, 23 Aug. 2023
Animals were not provided adequate veterinary care and were observed with overgrown hoofs, abnormal growths and ulcerous wounds, the complaint states.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2023
Others reported problems accessing water to help firefighting efforts and complained of failures to reduce overgrown brush and to better irrigate drought-prone fields.
—Lewis Kamb, NBC News, 24 Aug. 2023
See More
Laura Rysman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023
Suspicion: Chagrin Boulevard A caller at the Moreland Hills Town Center reported that a man was sitting in bushes and overgrown grass with an open can next to him around 9:30 p.m. Sept. 3.
—Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 9 Sep. 2023
As land managers seek new tools to deal with the threat of catastrophic wildfires, which is rising in the West as the planet warms and Americans build more homes near overgrown forests and other vulnerable places, the days of lookouts might be numbered.
—Raymond Zhong Mark Felix, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2023
Coppola suggests that she was always treated as an outsider and that Elvis was an overgrown boy who often preferred to goof off with his buddies than spend time with her.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Sep. 2023
On this peaceful riverbank, where overgrown weeds sway around a makeshift venue, Japanese soldiers killed dozens of men execution style, according to accounts collected by Housenka, a civic group that’s been organizing the anniversary event since 1982.
—Takehiko Kambayashi, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2023
But Canada’s woodlands changed with industrial techniques that extinguished fires with full force, resulting in more overgrown, homogenous, and flammable landscapes.
—Omar Mouallem, WIRED, 23 Aug. 2023
Animals were not provided adequate veterinary care and were observed with overgrown hoofs, abnormal growths and ulcerous wounds, the complaint states.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2023
Others reported problems accessing water to help firefighting efforts and complained of failures to reduce overgrown brush and to better irrigate drought-prone fields.
—Lewis Kamb, NBC News, 24 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overgrown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of overgrown was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near overgrown
Cite this Entry
“Overgrown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overgrown. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
overgrown
adjective
: grown unusually or too big
overgrown boys
overgrown cities
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