overran

verb

past tense of overrun
1
as in invaded
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
as in exceeded
to go beyond the limit of he must not overrun his authority as governor

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in infested
to spread or swarm over in a troublesome manner ants are overrunning the garden

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 overran During takeoff, the plane overran the runway and burst into flames. — Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026 So far, five people have died after being buried in mudslides that overran two houses in the central region, while three others were wounded and two people have gone missing, said Pradeep Kodippili, the center's spokesperson. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 As cattle overran the country, native plants were grazed out and European grasses, long adapted to the grinding teeth of livestock, took their place. — Literary Hub, 29 July 2026 Uvalde residents isolated by floodwaters Floodwaters also overran the city of Uvalde overnight, cutting off most outside routes. — Jesse Bedayn, Chicago Tribune, 16 July 2026 Uvalde residents isolated by floodwaters Floodwaters overran the city of Uvalde overnight, cutting off outside access. — Jesse Bedayn, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026 Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernández overran the ricochet. — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 15 May 2026 Jung Hoo Lee, who’s still learning Oracle Park’s right field, overran Paul Goldschmidt’s base hit down the right-field line that caromed off the short, angled side wall in foul territory, allowing a single to become a double. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026 But Nazi forces soon overran much of the continent, and by the end of World War II, at least 254 of the ship’s passengers had died in the Holocaust. — Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overran
  1. invaded
  2. exceeded
  3. infested
  4. raided
  5. surpassed
  6. plagued
  7. overwhelmed
Verb
  • President Joe Biden deployed 180 million barrels to address energy market volatility after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026
  • In 1940, when France was invaded once again, Monnet went further and suggested a Franco-British union.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of invaded
Verb
  • On his 2017 tax return, Krneta reported $321,000 in net income, even though his total income, which included about $4,000 derived from criminal activity, exceeded $400,000, the plea stated.
    — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Soil samples from the two elementary school campuses, City Terrace and Christopher Dena, exceeded the applicable regulatory screening levels of lead, which were flagged for further evaluation.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of exceeded
Verb
  • Native to southeast Asia, the beetle has infested every continent bar Antarctica, according to a study published in the Journal of Pest Science in June, stowing away in wood products, live plants and packaging materials.
    — Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Authorities are investigating after human remains at a Chicago funeral home were allegedly found decaying in an unrefrigerated area infested with rodents.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of infested
Verb
  • Members of the Montreal City Police Department found the weapon, a Glock 26, on August 30, 2024, when officers raided a home in relation to a kidnapping investigation, court records show.
    — Mark Morales, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • This has been an issue discussed by many across the ACC and Big 12 in previous weeks, wondering aloud what this would prevent in terms of being raided by the others, most notably the SEC.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of raided
Verb
  • Virgilijus’s Olympic record had stood for 20 years before his son and eventual 2024 Olympic gold medalist Roje Stona surpassed the mark in Paris.
    — Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Alpha-Zero, as the system was called, surpassed human experts at chess, the Japanese chess variant Shogi, and the ancient strategy board game called Go.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of surpassed
Verb
  • Ireland’s museum sector is reportedly plagued by precarious contracts, low pay, unpaid labor, and toxic workplace cultures, driving burnout, excluding talent, and risking the loss of vital institutional knowledge.
    — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Trump has consistently blamed vandals for the botched renovation of the Reflecting Pool, which has been plagued by a peeling liner and resurfacing algae.
    — Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of plagued
Verb
  • The deluge stranded thousands at Soga Station and Narita Airport during Japan’s busy Bon holiday week, exposing sewer systems overwhelmed by rapid urbanization and prompting emergency evacuations and shelters across Chiba.
    — Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Despite this multi-layered surveillance system, Tuesday’s massive influx overwhelmed the filtration hardware, forcing operators to bring the reactors offline once again to safeguard the facilities.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of overwhelmed

Browse Nearby Words

overqualified
overran
overrate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Overran.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overran. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on overran

Nglish: Translation of overran for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zeugma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All