over·stock
ˈō-vər-ˌstäk 
plural overstocks
: a surplus of stock : an excessively large inventory of goods
Dealers were reminded at the fall Comdex show that they could lose their contracts if they were caught selling their overstock of PCs … to unauthorized dealers.—
David Stamps
David StampsA group of women from the fashion industry got together to buy designer overstocks for men, women and children and sell them at a discount on the Internet.—Jill Sabulis
Jill Sabulis
over·stock
ˌō-vər-ˈstäk
overstocked; overstocking
1
transitive + intransitive
: to stock too much or too many of (something) : to get or have excess inventory of (a good or goods)
The big, reputable department stores frequently overstock designers' wares for Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Mother's Day.—John Heilemann
John Heilemanndiscounting overstocked merchandise
Don't overstock. Sure, you don't want to run out of product. … But tying up all your capital in inventory can turn your company into the Titanic.—Michelle Goodman
Michelle Goodman2
transitive
: to provide (something or someone) with too large a supply of something
Supermarkets are already overstocking their shelves with traditional Thanksgiving food items.—Michelle Singletary
Michelle SingletaryRetailers try to walk a fine line between threatening their profits by overstocking their stores—as happened the last couple of years—and running out of popular gift items, which means lost sales.—Jenny Strasburg
Jenny Strasburg… many American cities are overstocked with … office and residential space.—Don McLeod
Don McLeod… we agonized about overstocking the list with luxurious French restaurants, big-city restaurants, or those with famous chefs.—Gourmet
GourmetExamples of overstock in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebPaige Williams, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
Nomad is discounting several excellent cases as part of its ongoing overstock sale, which extends to a slew of Apple accessories and ends on February 25th.
—Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 23 Feb. 2024
Men’s Full-Zip Jacket Amazon’s overstock storefront is the best place to snag massive discounts on jackets and coats.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 23 Jan. 2024
Helly-Hansen Men’s Active Insulated Jacket Amazon’s overstock store is the perfect spot to score massive discounts on winter essentials like jackets and coats.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 12 Dec. 2023
Shop for bargains for your vanity For an interesting and yet less costly look for your bathroom, Arango suggests shopping for cabinets at used furniture and overstock stores that are the right size for your bathroom vanity.
—Michele Lerner, wsj.com, 6 Nov. 2023
Lucky for you, hiding in the depths of Amazon’s overstock storefront is a rain jacket that not only rolls down into a transportable size that can be tossed in your bag, but is also on sale for $30.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2023
Appliance outlets — which often sell floor models, overstock and open-box (returned) items — also may yield a good deal.
—Laura Daily, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2023
Amazon will then direct you to its overstock home page.
—John Thompson, Men's Health, 1 Sep. 2023
Elizabeth Paton, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
But pushing for change in areas that have looked the same for generations is all but certain to roil residents, many of whom complain that the city is already overstocked with luxury housing.
—Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2024
After 1981, the company abandoned one of its identifying traits and began to feature some items that were not specially selected but were overstocked and could be sold cheaply.
—Alice George, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2023
The company was overstocked last year because consumer spending slowed, so management cut prices to move products out.
—Trefis Team, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
The retailer, one of several that chartered ships in 2021 to get around port bottlenecks, ended up overstocked last year with goods such as comfortable clothes and small appliances that were popular during the pandemic but fell out of fashion as consumers returned to offices and restaurants.
—Liz Young, WSJ, 27 Nov. 2023
Now the region is overstocked and is looking to sell water elsewhere.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2023
Retailers ended up overstocked in the second half of last year as consumer spending shifted, and many are still coping with excess inventories.
—Paul Berger, WSJ, 25 Mar. 2023
Now, many retailers are more cautious about ordering to avoid overstocking.
—Liz Young, WSJ, 15 Mar. 2023
Noun
The store advertised overstock merchandise at up to eighty per cent off: Sketchers for fifteen dollars, Uggs for seventy-nine.
—Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
Nomad is discounting several excellent cases as part of its ongoing overstock sale, which extends to a slew of Apple accessories and ends on February 25th.
—Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 23 Feb. 2024
Men’s Full-Zip Jacket Amazon’s overstock storefront is the best place to snag massive discounts on jackets and coats.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 23 Jan. 2024
Helly-Hansen Men’s Active Insulated Jacket Amazon’s overstock store is the perfect spot to score massive discounts on winter essentials like jackets and coats.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 12 Dec. 2023
Shop for bargains for your vanity For an interesting and yet less costly look for your bathroom, Arango suggests shopping for cabinets at used furniture and overstock stores that are the right size for your bathroom vanity.
—Michele Lerner, wsj.com, 6 Nov. 2023
Lucky for you, hiding in the depths of Amazon’s overstock storefront is a rain jacket that not only rolls down into a transportable size that can be tossed in your bag, but is also on sale for $30.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2023
Appliance outlets — which often sell floor models, overstock and open-box (returned) items — also may yield a good deal.
—Laura Daily, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2023
Amazon will then direct you to its overstock home page.
—John Thompson, Men's Health, 1 Sep. 2023
Verb
After the pandemic boom, many overstocked and were left with mountains of unsold inventory.
—Elizabeth Paton, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
But pushing for change in areas that have looked the same for generations is all but certain to roil residents, many of whom complain that the city is already overstocked with luxury housing.
—Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2024
After 1981, the company abandoned one of its identifying traits and began to feature some items that were not specially selected but were overstocked and could be sold cheaply.
—Alice George, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2023
The company was overstocked last year because consumer spending slowed, so management cut prices to move products out.
—Trefis Team, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
The retailer, one of several that chartered ships in 2021 to get around port bottlenecks, ended up overstocked last year with goods such as comfortable clothes and small appliances that were popular during the pandemic but fell out of fashion as consumers returned to offices and restaurants.
—Liz Young, WSJ, 27 Nov. 2023
Now the region is overstocked and is looking to sell water elsewhere.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2023
Retailers ended up overstocked in the second half of last year as consumer spending shifted, and many are still coping with excess inventories.
—Paul Berger, WSJ, 25 Mar. 2023
Now, many retailers are more cautious about ordering to avoid overstocking.
—Liz Young, WSJ, 15 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overstock.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Overstock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overstock. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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