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
This one included logos of the teams playing and did away with the XII overkill design.
—
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2026
At first, the Thule Urban Glide 3 felt like overkill compared to smaller, more compact travel strollers.
—Erica Zazo, Outside, 20 Feb. 2026
Missiles cost tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, are limited in quantity and can be overkill for a quadcopter drone that costs less than a laptop.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
If any of these items sound like overkill to you, congrats!
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overkill
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2026
At first, the Thule Urban Glide 3 felt like overkill compared to smaller, more compact travel strollers.
—Erica Zazo, Outside, 20 Feb. 2026
Missiles cost tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, are limited in quantity and can be overkill for a quadcopter drone that costs less than a laptop.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
If any of these items sound like overkill to you, congrats!
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overkill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overkill
Noun
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The film’s surplus of action and chase scenes follows the same rigid formula of swooping camera movements and game power-up deus ex machinas that no sequence ever proves particularly exciting.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The Bryant School is just one surplus building.—
Thomas White,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Set in a secluded Catalonian villa, the irksomely stylish story centers on a rich family living in insulated excess until an outsider disrupts their precarious peace.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
27 Mar. 2026
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That delirious excess befits the essence of Lapid’s method, which is a fusion of fiction with indigestibly and irreducibly nonfictional elements.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Dilemmas like Pedraza’s are increasingly common in San Joaquin County, which has long served as a sort of overflow zone for the Bay Area’s housing crisis.—
Connor Letourneau,
San Francisco Chronicle,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Generations of medical students have voiced their desire for more nutrition education, especially for practical knowledge to address numerous questions from their patients and to untangle the overflow of information and misinformation from contemporary media.—
Christopher Duggan,
STAT,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overkill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overkill. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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