1
as in invading
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 exceeding
to go beyond the limit of
he must not overrun his authority as governor
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in infesting
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 overrunning
Yet, there’s a way to do it right to show appreciation for the time and effort in hosting a tailgate—tents, food, drinks, and all—while not overrunning the host’s wishes.
—
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2025
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overrunning
Verb
-
Licensing officials also investigated educators accused of grooming behaviors like flirting with children, spending non-school time alone and isolated with students, or invading students’ personal space by rubbing their shoulders, thighs and lower backs.—
Danielle DuClos,
jsonline.com,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Additionally, the invading trees and shrubs also compete with prairie plants for light, water, and space, often pushing the grassland plants out of the way and diminishing the habitat options available to animals that depend on native plants.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Two Milwaukee Democrats want to install technology in repeat reckless drivers' cars to prevent them from exceeding speed limits, similar to breathalyzer devices for OWI offenders.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The complaint refers to offers exceeding $100,000 related to licensing and promotion of trading cards for Brown, who is a junior.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Quagga mussels and golden mussels, fingernail-sized invaders infesting California waterways, clog the water pumps and pipes responsible for distributing water to millions of people and vast stretches of farmland.—
Pam Marrone,
Mercury News,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Aphids and Spider Mites These tiny, sap-sucking insects become more active in the fall, infesting flowering and fruiting plants.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Under the administration of then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a 2008 crackdown on the area’s counterfeiters — with federal agents and police raiding 32 vendors selling knockoff luxury goods — led to $1 million worth of counterfeit goods being seized.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
22 Oct. 2025
-
While many consider the mammal a nuisance for raiding garbage cans and damaging property, raccoons can also carry diseases, and they probably shouldn't be kept as housepets.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Gold has seen historic gains in 2025, its more-than-50% surge surpassing previous volatile periods such as after the September 11 attacks, the 2008 financial crisis or even the Covid-19 pandemic.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Even as Westward was forced to file for Chapter 11, the distillery’s sales continued to grow by 53 percent through the end of September (compared to the same period last year), surpassing total sales for 2024.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Jordan Shamir, co-founder and CEO of Yofi AI, said fraud and theft continue to be major issues plaguing brands and retailers of all sizes.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Politicians on both sides of the aisle widely condemned the attack, one of several high-profile acts of political violence plaguing the United States in recent years.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Tropical Storm Melissa is crawling through the Caribbean Sea, threatening to unleash life-threatening flooding and mudslides across parts of the region later this week.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
-
These flat robots have multiple modes of movement, capable of jumping or crawling at multiple speeds.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overrunning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overrunning. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share