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
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Recent Examples of overrunning
In the fifth, Byron Buxton hit a double and was tagged out after overrunning the base.
—
Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2026
His issues overrunning plays feel like ages ago.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
Russian forces seized the nuclear plant and its surrounding area in the early days of Moscow’s full-scale invasion, overrunning the plant in February 2022 and holding staff hostage.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 6 Dec. 2025
But using smaller rocks will not secure river banks from overrunning, said attorney Devon Lehman McCune during a hearing earlier this month in downtown federal court.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 21 Nov. 2025
In its siege of El Fasher, the RSF blocked aid and trade and intercepted all who tried to flee, overrunning a nearby camp for displaced people in April and killing hundreds, including nine nurses.
—Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2025
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
Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2026
His issues overrunning plays feel like ages ago.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
Russian forces seized the nuclear plant and its surrounding area in the early days of Moscow’s full-scale invasion, overrunning the plant in February 2022 and holding staff hostage.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 6 Dec. 2025
But using smaller rocks will not secure river banks from overrunning, said attorney Devon Lehman McCune during a hearing earlier this month in downtown federal court.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 21 Nov. 2025
In its siege of El Fasher, the RSF blocked aid and trade and intercepted all who tried to flee, overrunning a nearby camp for displaced people in April and killing hundreds, including nine nurses.
—Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overrunning
Verb
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The tall grass and low brush keeps the snow soft for winter roosting and snow burrowing, but it’s being taken over by tamarac trees invading the edges.—
Andrew Weeks,
Twin Cities,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The escalation has now resulted in Israel, with Trump holding their hand in this Thelma and Louise-style adventure, invading two sovereign countries (Lebanon and Iran) and brazenly hitting nuclear power plants, prompting Russia to warn the world of a potential nuclear disaster.—
Rachel Marsden,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Strong demand for air travel pushed sales up nearly 30% from a year ago, also exceeding analyst estimates.—
Kiel Porter,
Bloomberg,
21 Apr. 2026
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Ahead of the meeting, Warsh disclosed financial interests exceeding $100 million.—
Zach Halaschak,
The Washington Examiner,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The moths infesting a pantry are not the same as moths hiding in your closet.—
Lauren Wicks,
Southern Living,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Spotted lanternflies have been infesting parts of the East Coast.—
Cate Martel,
The Hill,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Stories are going viral about passengers raiding complimentary buffets in lounges, and children wreaking havoc while distracted parents are unfazed.—
Jessica Mekles,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
-
But Dead City fans have responded to cops raiding a concert by setting fires and ransacking a Metro train full of workers trying to get home.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The bipedal humanoid, developed by smartphone maker Honor, blazed through the 13-mile race in just 50 minutes, 26 seconds, besting all 12,000 human competitors and even surpassing the human world record for a half-marathon, set by Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon last month, by nearly seven minutes.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
19 Apr. 2026
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That's led to positive results with the Flames surpassing last year's win total and conference win total early on this season.—
Jori Parys,
CBS News,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Windy conditions will still be plaguing most of Colorado on Thursday.—
Dave Aguilera,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
However, this isn’t a question only plaguing actors.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Adobe could be crawling its way out of the software stock abyss, after a buyback and an endorsement from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang revived confidence in the digital media provider.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Sick of crawling through rush-hour traffic along Interstate 84 in Meridian?—
Rose Evans
April 20,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overrunning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overrunning. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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