1
as in to invade
to enter for conquest or plunder
waves of barbarians overran the Roman Empire during its long decline
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of overrun
Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
While paleoclimatologists routinely reconstruct this or that bit of Earth history — the dinosaur world that hosted polar rainforests, say, or the Pleistocene one that saw ice sheets overrun Kansas — a few groups are working through the entire story of Earth’s climate across the age of animals.
—Peter Brannen, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
For at least three years, Haiti's capital city of Port-au-Prince has been overrun by armed gangs, and political turmoil has extended into many of the Caribbean nation's villages and towns.
—Deborah Barfield Berry, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
Trump has said the city remains overrun by criminals and this month deployed hundreds of federal agents and National Guard soldiers across the city.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overrun
Adjective
The room was overrun by such a bewildering arsenal of medical and electronic devices that Serge and I now had no place to stand.
—Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
While paleoclimatologists routinely reconstruct this or that bit of Earth history — the dinosaur world that hosted polar rainforests, say, or the Pleistocene one that saw ice sheets overrun Kansas — a few groups are working through the entire story of Earth’s climate across the age of animals.
—Peter Brannen, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
For at least three years, Haiti's capital city of Port-au-Prince has been overrun by armed gangs, and political turmoil has extended into many of the Caribbean nation's villages and towns.
—Deborah Barfield Berry, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
Trump has said the city remains overrun by criminals and this month deployed hundreds of federal agents and National Guard soldiers across the city.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overrun
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overrun
Verb
-
On October 7, 2023, as a terrorist army invaded Israel intending to commit genocide against the Jewish people, many world leaders rightly condemned Hamas’ murder, rape, and slaughter of Israelis and foreign nationals.—
Ofir Akunis,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The 2025 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to a trio of scientists – two of them American and one Japanese – for unraveling how the immune system protects us from thousands of different microbes trying to invade our bodies.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Nylander needs to replicate and probably exceed last season’s 45-goal campaign.—
Jonas Siegel,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Collier said costs can easily exceed that in the most severe flood situations.—
Tamia Fowlkes,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The rest of the cast comes with big question marks after injuries and inconsistency plagued this group last season.—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Cobweb Eight-year-old Peter is plagued by a mysterious, constant tap, tap from inside his bedroom wall — a tapping that his parents insist is all in his imagination.—
Caitlin White,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Dozens of animals have been mowing down overgrown vegetation at Jay Peak near the Canadian border.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
-
About four years ago, Houston lawn care specialists Martin Hernandez and his son Daniel went over to an elderly woman’s home to cut her overgrown lawn.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Elsewhere during Last Week Tonight, Oliver discussed the prevalence of grassroots pushback toward ICE agents who show up to raid and disturb neighborhoods.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
5 Oct. 2025
-
The list of items that authorities found when his house was raided in 1957 is pure nightmare fuel, including a wastebasket made of human skin, bowls made from skulls, a belt made of nipples, a lampshade created from a human face, and nine vulvas in a shoebox.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Rival studio estimates are even higher, with some predicting the film could surpass $35 million in its opening weekend.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The first movie was a surprise post-quarantine box office success, surpassing $161 million worldwide.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
These rodents can infest all aspects of a home, including the shed, garage, attic, or even lawnmowers, automobiles, and barbecue grills.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
1 Oct. 2025
-
When left unattended in a basement for a prolonged period, things are bound to acquire mold and mildew or become infested with unwelcome guests.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In springtime, the fields were verdant and the hills were covered with thousands of olive trees.—
Fiona Mozley,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The ceiling and surrounding walls are painted Valspar Sweet Clover—a soft green that pulls out the verdant hues in the wallpaper pattern (Nathan Turner's Cowboy Toile).—
Monika Biegler Eyers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overrun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overrun. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share