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 The chief instigators of the overpopulation are Muscovy ducks, according to Andracek. — Dan Carson, Chron, 12 Apr. 2022 The winner of the November general election will be tasked with leading Hays County through a variety of challenges in Texas’ fastest-growing county, including jail overpopulation, soaring development, and management of COVID grants and funds. — Annie Blanks, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Mar. 2022 O’Sullivan, who believes that concerns about aging are overblown, thinks that staving off the worst effects of overpopulation will require normalizing small families. — Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2022 The hope is that the film gets people to see the bigger picture of animal overpopulation and inspires them to help in their own communities. — Kendra Meinert, Star Tribune, 12 July 2021 One often hears arguments that a declining population is actually good because of climate change, in the mode of old-fashioned environmentalists who stoke panic about overpopulation. — Ryan Cooper, The Week, 29 Nov. 2021 The donkeys were moved for their own safety; due to overpopulation, loss of habitat, and people feeding the animals, members of the herd were coming closer to cars and railroad tracks, and last year several were hit by trains or vehicles. — Catherine Garcia, The Week, 3 Feb. 2022 In a little under three minutes, Sen has encapsulated a vision of New Delhi in which modern life, particularly pollution and overpopulation, have placed new strain on the balance between humans and nature. — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Jan. 2022 To take one example, the disappearance of mountain lions from the northeast has led to an overpopulation of deer and a host of other environmental imbalances, including soaring rates of Lyme disease from deer ticks. — Liza Featherstone, The New Republic, 14 Jan. 2022 See More

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.

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Dictionary Entries Near overpopulation

overpopulate

overpopulation

overpot

Statistics for overpopulation

Last Updated

19 Apr 2022

Cite this Entry

“Overpopulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overpopulation. Accessed 17 May. 2022.

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