overpopulation

noun

over·pop·u·la·tion | \ ˌō-vər-ˌpä-pyə-ˈlā-shən

Definition of overpopulation

: the condition of having a population so dense as to cause environmental deterioration, an impaired quality of life, or a population crash

Examples of overpopulation in a Sentence

He is studying the problem of deer overpopulation.

Recent Examples on the Web Causes of current mass migrations from poorer countries into richer ones are overpopulation-based. — Star Tribune, "Readers Write: America at the transition, overpopulation," 16 Jan. 2021 The many crises of the 1970s—ranging from environmental fears, overpopulation, Vietnam, and nuclear annihilation—all made apocalyptic evangelicalism palatable to the broader American public. — Matthew Avery Sutton, The New Republic, "The Capitol Riot Revealed the Darkest Nightmares of White Evangelical America," 14 Jan. 2021 People are still entering the system as backlogs accrue, making the jail more susceptible to overpopulation. — Shelby Stewart, Chron, "Ed Gonzalez worried about overpopulated jails as COVID-19 cases rise," 12 Jan. 2021 Battle Royale was written as a response to the demonisation of teenagers as well as fears of rising crime rates and overpopulation. — Rosie Knight, refinery29.com, "The Wilds Puts Clever Twists On Pop Culture’s Most Classic Survival Stories," 14 Dec. 2020 Millions of people have moved into urban areas, contributing to urban problems that come with overpopulation. — Star Tribune, "Readers Write: Winona County dairy farm dispute, Norman Borlaug's legacy, Electoral College origins, 'follow the science'," 27 Dec. 2020 Braude said Parma Heights currently has not only a big problem with the overpopulation of deer, but also residents feeding the animals. — John Benson, cleveland, "Raccoon cruelty incidents lead Parma Heights to tweak animal care language," 11 Nov. 2020 Hopper plays Dale Warwick, a disciple of Dr. Kevin Christie, a billionaire CEO who has some unusual ideas about how to combat world overpopulation. — Tracy Swartz, chicagotribune.com, "‘Fargo,’ ‘Utopia,’ ‘NeXt.’ One Steppenwolf ensemble member has roles on all 3 of these new Chicago-filmed TV shows," 2 Oct. 2020 In Minnesota and many other states, various species suffer from overpopulation. — Danielle Butcher, National Review, "The Hunter’s Role in Conserving Our Natural World," 27 Sep. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'overpopulation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.