over·run
ˌō-vər-ˈrən 
ˌō-və-
overran
ˌō-vər-ˈran
ˌō-və-
; overrun; overrunning
1
a(1)
: to defeat decisively and occupy the positions of
(2)
: to invade and occupy or ravage
b
: to spread or swarm over : infest
2
a
: to run or go beyond or past
the plane overran the runway
b
: exceed
overrun a budget
c
: to readjust (set type) by shifting letters or words from one line into another
3
: to flow over
the river overran its banks
over·run
ˈō-vər-ˌrən
ˈō-və-
1
: an act or instance of overrunning
especially
: an exceeding of the costs estimated in a contract for development and manufacture of new equipment
2
: the amount by which something overruns
3
: a run in excess of the quantity ordered by a customer
Synonyms
Examples of overrun in a Sentence
Verb
The tank divisions overran the countryside.
The city was being overrun by enemy troops.
The plane overran the runway.
His speech overran the time allowed.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2023
Story continues below advertisement On Oct. 7, Hamas militants overran southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 230 hostages, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
—Júlia Ledur, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023
That aptitude for making magic had perhaps never been tested quite so thoroughly as Saturday, when USC’s offensive line spent most of the game overrun by Oregon’s front, which flushed Williams from the pocket more plays than not.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2023
David Corio Christina Elliott Bauer-Griffin Through the 2000s, graphic tees overran every children’s and teen’s section, from Limited Too to dELIA*s.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2023
As Israel takes the necessary steps to defend its citizens in the coming days and weeks, social media will be overrun by an orchestrated misinformation campaign spearheaded by Iran.
—Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2023
Based on the television series of the same name, the narrative follows a young girl who dreams of playing football in a world that’s been overrun by androids.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 3 Nov. 2023
The mob overran the airport on Sunday, reportedly in search of Jews following the arrival of an airplane from Tel Aviv — an incident that underscores the potential for Moscow’s internal security regime to come under additional strain during Israel’s war with Hamas.
—Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, 2 Nov. 2023
There is mounting evidence that something comparable took place last year in Kherson: Russian troops overran most of the region in just a few weeks.
—James Verini Paolo Pellegrin, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2023
Nives Dolsak and Aseem Prakash, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
The city has spent $42 million of a $114 million fund established to cover cost overruns.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2023
State House Speaker Ben Toma, a Republican, said the state’s education budget is on pace to have a $77 million year-end budget surplus that could be used to cover overruns.
—Geoff Mulvihill, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2023
This provides for a reasonable amount of dry powder to cover cost overruns.
—Tim Carter, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2023
New shift logic is borrowed from the Daytona SP3, and gearchanges are accompanied by a snarling exhaust note with a lift-off overrun at higher RPM.
—Drew Dorian, Car and Driver, 29 June 2023
The scale of budget overruns are also staggering, as Honcoop documents in her globehopping indie doc – much of it filmed secretly with handheld gear.
—Will Tizard, Variety, 24 Oct. 2023
Similar winds are now at the back of the Artemis program, which bodes well for future budget and space policy battles that are sure to come with delays and cost overruns.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 20 Oct. 2023
Headline-grabbing cost overruns and humbling defeats in public referendums have made cities wary of building venues for sports like ski jumping and bobsled with limited appeal beyond the Games, while climate change has rapidly shrunk the number of potential hosts that can promise real snow.
—Hisako Ueno, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2023
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Verb
The story of a young woman who goes in search of her father only to discover his small town has been overrun by cultists, the film features a particularly unsettling scene set in a Ralphs, which may be all too familiar to some Angelenos.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2023
Story continues below advertisement On Oct. 7, Hamas militants overran southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 230 hostages, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
—Júlia Ledur, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023
That aptitude for making magic had perhaps never been tested quite so thoroughly as Saturday, when USC’s offensive line spent most of the game overrun by Oregon’s front, which flushed Williams from the pocket more plays than not.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2023
David Corio Christina Elliott Bauer-Griffin Through the 2000s, graphic tees overran every children’s and teen’s section, from Limited Too to dELIA*s.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2023
As Israel takes the necessary steps to defend its citizens in the coming days and weeks, social media will be overrun by an orchestrated misinformation campaign spearheaded by Iran.
—Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2023
Based on the television series of the same name, the narrative follows a young girl who dreams of playing football in a world that’s been overrun by androids.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 3 Nov. 2023
The mob overran the airport on Sunday, reportedly in search of Jews following the arrival of an airplane from Tel Aviv — an incident that underscores the potential for Moscow’s internal security regime to come under additional strain during Israel’s war with Hamas.
—Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, 2 Nov. 2023
There is mounting evidence that something comparable took place last year in Kherson: Russian troops overran most of the region in just a few weeks.
—James Verini Paolo Pellegrin, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2023
Noun
NuScale Power, a small modular reactor pioneer, has canceled its Idaho project because rising interest rates and project overruns have increased the project cost to $9.3 billion from $5.3 billion.
—Nives Dolsak and Aseem Prakash, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
The city has spent $42 million of a $114 million fund established to cover cost overruns.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2023
State House Speaker Ben Toma, a Republican, said the state’s education budget is on pace to have a $77 million year-end budget surplus that could be used to cover overruns.
—Geoff Mulvihill, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2023
This provides for a reasonable amount of dry powder to cover cost overruns.
—Tim Carter, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2023
New shift logic is borrowed from the Daytona SP3, and gearchanges are accompanied by a snarling exhaust note with a lift-off overrun at higher RPM.
—Drew Dorian, Car and Driver, 29 June 2023
The scale of budget overruns are also staggering, as Honcoop documents in her globehopping indie doc – much of it filmed secretly with handheld gear.
—Will Tizard, Variety, 24 Oct. 2023
Similar winds are now at the back of the Artemis program, which bodes well for future budget and space policy battles that are sure to come with delays and cost overruns.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 20 Oct. 2023
Headline-grabbing cost overruns and humbling defeats in public referendums have made cities wary of building venues for sports like ski jumping and bobsled with limited appeal beyond the Games, while climate change has rapidly shrunk the number of potential hosts that can promise real snow.
—Hisako Ueno, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overrun.' 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
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
Noun
1898, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of overrun was
before the 12th century
Dictionary Entries Near overrun
Cite this Entry
“Overrun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overrun. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
overrun
1 of 2 verb
over·run
ˌō-və(r)-ˈrən
overran
-ˈran
; overrun; overrunning
; overrun; overrunning
1
a
: to invade and occupy
the island was overrun by the enemy
b
: to spread, swarm, or grow over
a garden overrun with weeds
rats overran the ship
2
: to run or go beyond or past
overran third base
the program overran the time allowed
3
: flow over
the river overran its banks
overrun
2 of 2 noun
over·run
ˈō-və(r)-ˌrən
1
: an act or instance of overrunning
2
: the amount by which something overruns
More from Merriam-Webster on overrun
Nglish: Translation of overrun for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of overrun for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about overrun
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