overregulate
verb
over·reg·u·late
ˌō-vər-ˈre-gyə-ˌlāt 
also -ˈrā-
overregulated; overregulating
: to regulate (something) to an excessive degree
Hospitals bitterly oppose the passage of such laws, saying they oversimplify complex issues and overregulate an already struggling industry.—
Tessa DeCarlo
Tessa DeCarloThis tendency to overregulate, which results from political pressures …—Clark C. Havighurst
Clark C. Havighurst
overregulation
noun
… risked hurting the economy through overregulation.
—Richard Brookhiser
Richard Brookhiser
Examples of overregulate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Washington Times later reports that Schneider also takes issue with his home state overregulating his vitamin business.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 28 June 2023
China’s government considers biopharmaceuticals an important economic driver and has no incentive to overregulate the sector, the U.S. Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking said in February.
—Brian Spegele, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2022
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Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 28 June 2023
China’s government considers biopharmaceuticals an important economic driver and has no incentive to overregulate the sector, the U.S. Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking said in February.
—Brian Spegele, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Overregulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overregulate. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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