1
as in to invade
to enter for conquest or plunder
waves of barbarians overran the Roman Empire during its long decline
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overrun
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
Sadat was forced to flee the Afghan capital with her family in 2021 after Taliban forces overran the city.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 16 Jan. 2026
Michael Cox, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Get the normally overrun streets of Venice all to yourself by visiting in the spring or fall.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overrun
Verb
His issues overrunning plays feel like ages ago.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
Sadat was forced to flee the Afghan capital with her family in 2021 after Taliban forces overran the city.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Amorim’s side were completely overrun, and lucky to only lose 2-0.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Get the normally overrun streets of Venice all to yourself by visiting in the spring or fall.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overrun
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overrun
Verb
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There’s Pete Carroll holding the hand of his sobbing grandson as television cameras invaded his personal space.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Stalin invaded in November of 1939, expecting a quick takeover, but the Finns inflicted many times more casualties on the Soviets before eventually ceding 11 percent of their territory and partial control over their foreign affairs.—
Boris Fishman,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Daryanani also noted that Apple’s recently reported revenue and EPS (earnings per share) for the December quarter exceeded expectations, with the company delivering better-than-expected gross margin, driven by limited memory impact and robust Services growth.—
TipRanks,
CNBC,
8 Feb. 2026
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His photographs vibrate with the excess of their ornamentation, with an audacity of presence that exceeds the realm of the emblematic.—
Zoë Hopkins,
New Yorker,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The coach said the team took into account the possibility that Canada was also plagued by the same issue.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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The grocery industry is a notoriously difficult business plagued by razor-thin margins and a highly perishable inventory.—
Talia Soglin,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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If an area is badly overgrown with weeds, an alternative to manual removal is to lay down mulch or cardboard in early spring, which suppresses weed growth.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Feb. 2026
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Then, Rick Owens turned the cut into overgrown lashes and pastel hairpieces directed by digital artist Bernardo Martins (and styled by Duffy).—
Essence,
Essence,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As recently as December, police raided a gay-friendly venue in the nation’s capital, Baku, and detained more than 100 people.—
Ryan Oehrli
Updated February 6,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Feb. 2026
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Police raided Mitchell’s Vallejo home and found the gun, an extended magazine, and body armor, according to the criminal complaint.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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SimpleImages/Getty Images Gold prices have been on a remarkable run over the past year, with the price of the precious metal consistently surpassing prior records and just recently climbing to historic levels above $5,000 per ounce.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
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The media giant’s HBO Max and Discovery+ services delivered their strongest Winter Olympics streaming performance to date through the opening days of competition, surpassing both Beijing 2022 and PyeongChang 2018 benchmarks.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Greenland situation reminds me of a story about a bunch of South American cowboys pushing a herd toward a creek known to be infested with piranhas.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
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The tiny hayloft would later become infested with lice and vermin.—
Edie Kasten,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Today, monks in ocher robes stroll the sprawling, verdant grounds.—
Ezra Marcus,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
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Holding the pack was our guide from Hike Armenia, who corralled us through the verdant passage while pointing out rhythms of rural life.—
Marlise Kast-Myers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overrun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overrun. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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