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 overgraze
But unlike large mammals, the ants don’t overgraze all the vegetation in the area around their colony.
—
Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 May 2022
Managers extended the fall season and provided winter openings to try to hit harvest targets, something Fish and Game says is important to keep the herd sustainable, and not so large that animals overgraze or starve.
—Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2021
As a result, proliferating shrimp could overgraze the algae that supports a healthy population, according to Luft.
—Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Dec. 2020
Cattle and sheep overgraze on the zacaton, and farmers burn the grass to promote new growth in pastures and cut it for thatch.
—National Geographic, 23 Jan. 2020
In this case, individual Arizonans are being asked to guard the public good, while policy makers, developers and multinational corporations overgraze our water to the detriment of the greater good.
—John D'anna, azcentral, 15 Dec. 2019
Without sharks, fish would overgraze and destroy our oceans.
—Stephanie Bedo, Fox News, 16 July 2018
The factor may be that herbivores overgraze their range and run short of food.
—E O Wilson, Discover Magazine, 11 June 2012
Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 May 2022
Managers extended the fall season and provided winter openings to try to hit harvest targets, something Fish and Game says is important to keep the herd sustainable, and not so large that animals overgraze or starve.
—Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2021
As a result, proliferating shrimp could overgraze the algae that supports a healthy population, according to Luft.
—Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Dec. 2020
Cattle and sheep overgraze on the zacaton, and farmers burn the grass to promote new growth in pastures and cut it for thatch.
—National Geographic, 23 Jan. 2020
In this case, individual Arizonans are being asked to guard the public good, while policy makers, developers and multinational corporations overgraze our water to the detriment of the greater good.
—John D'anna, azcentral, 15 Dec. 2019
Without sharks, fish would overgraze and destroy our oceans.
—Stephanie Bedo, Fox News, 16 July 2018
The factor may be that herbivores overgraze their range and run short of food.
—E O Wilson, Discover Magazine, 11 June 2012
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overgraze
Verb
-
Sadly, the last Blockbuster (aside from one defiant Bend, Oregon, outlier) went out to pasture in 2014, and independent video stores are an increasingly rare sight.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
19 Mar. 2026
-
In Wisconsin, dairy farms are smaller, herds are smaller, and cows are usually sent out to pasture to graze in good weather, which is not easy to come by in Wisconsin.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Betye Saar practically levitates into the room wearing a Max Mara jacket that resembles a bird’s plumage, with a butter-yellow silk Dior dress grazing the ground behind her and a cane in her hand.—
Julissa James,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
For one, switching from sheep grazing to the more passive business of leasing land would have put the fate of his income in the hands of an outsider.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Prosecutors allege Landon was deprived of nutrition, forced to drink from a toilet, forced to forage for food in the kitchen after bedtime, humiliated by his parents and isolated from other family members, neighbors and school, per TribLive and WTAE.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
-
During the breeding season, females stay close enough to their rookery to return regularly to feed their young, although their trips to forage tend to grow longer as the pup develops.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overgraze.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overgraze. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
