overregulate

verb

over·​reg·​u·​late ˌō-vər-ˈre-gyə-ˌlāt 

 also  -ˈrā-

overregulated; overregulating

transitive + intransitive

: 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

This tendency to overregulate, which results from political pressures …

—Clark C. Havighurst

overregulation

ˌō-vər-ˌre-gyə-ˈlā-shən 

-ˌre-gə-

 also  -ˌrā-

noun

… risked hurting the economy through overregulation.

—Richard Brookhiser

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined above