as in surplus
the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed
the song already borders on the maudlin—the addition of a syrupy string accompaniment would just be overkill
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Recent Examples of overkill
Even the Obama administration had not engaged in this kind of prosecutorial overkill.
—
The Editors, National Review, 28 Jan. 2025
The investors who had pumped trillions of dollars into tech stocks over the last few years worried whether the tens of billions of dollars that tech companies were spending on new data centers suddenly looked like comic overkill.
—Karen Weise, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
And Primus seems to have optimized the Ulti design in a way that stands above the average infrared stove, which might be overkill for a balmy mid-summer camping trip but could prove absolutely vital on an Arctic expedition or multi-night ski mountaineering journey.
—New Atlas, 25 Jan. 2025
That's why there will always be a place for consoles in the market, with most gamers who want convenience choosing the plastic box over the overkill computer on their work desk.
—Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 25 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for overkill
The Editors, National Review, 28 Jan. 2025
The investors who had pumped trillions of dollars into tech stocks over the last few years worried whether the tens of billions of dollars that tech companies were spending on new data centers suddenly looked like comic overkill.
—Karen Weise, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
And Primus seems to have optimized the Ulti design in a way that stands above the average infrared stove, which might be overkill for a balmy mid-summer camping trip but could prove absolutely vital on an Arctic expedition or multi-night ski mountaineering journey.
—New Atlas, 25 Jan. 2025
That's why there will always be a place for consoles in the market, with most gamers who want convenience choosing the plastic box over the overkill computer on their work desk.
—Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 25 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for overkill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overkill
Noun
-
The surplus with the U.S. ballooned to 9 trillion yen ($63 billion).—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Managing surplus energy for local businesses and municipalities In most data centers, servers are air-cooled.—
Erik Kobayashi-Solomon,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In particular, smoking, vaping, drinking alcohol, skipping sleep, using recreational drugs (like marijuana), and downing a ton of sugar may all contribute to an excess of those free-wheeling free radicals and impair your body’s ability to defend against them.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Many retailers have likely rushed their orders to get ahead of these levies, which can lead to an excess of inventory and a need to liquidate for cash.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Another 21 sewage overflows were reported in Hartford and New Haven, according to state data.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Ocasio-Cortez is headlining a string of major political rallies alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), drawing overflow crowds of more than 10,000 in deep-red states like Utah, Idaho and Montana.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overkill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overkill. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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