as in excesses
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overkills
Noun
-
Between the time of the Revolution and the ratification of the Constitution, the framers had become increasingly suspicious of the democratic excesses of legislatures.—
Bernadette Meyler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026 -
First, the hotel’s (heated) Haven Pool lives up to its name and is a great spot to recover from any excesses—or just to spend a quiet afternoon.—
Paul Oswell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
All operating surpluses are reinvested into the inn’s parent Shorefast charity, which supports the cultural and economic resilience of the local community.—
Jennifer Flowers,
AFAR Media,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The latest budget forecast by the state comptroller’s office predicts surpluses of $136 million in the general fund and $50 million in the special transportation fund in the current fiscal year that ends on June 30.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
As a result, sewage blockages and overflows became widespread, increasing the risk of wastewater contaminating drinking water sources and heightening the likelihood of outbreaks of diarrhea, hepatitis A and other waterborne diseases in an already vulnerable community.—
Sarah Ferguson,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
However, long-term problems persist as completely eliminating overflows will take decades, according to officials.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Some of these volatiles are brought to the moon from the sun via the solar wind, but the abundances of these volatiles, particularly nitrogen, cannot solely be explained by the solar wind.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
15 Dec. 2025
-
According to the team, this means that having a dog in the house might shift the abundances of some mouth bacteria—potentially bacteria that might correlate with the adolescents’ psychological scores.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
3 Dec. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Overkills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overkills. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
