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 10th minute, Neil El Aynaoui pilfered the ball from Ryan Christie, then nearly capitalized on the ensuing counterattack, finding free space in front of an open net but overrunning Azzedine Ounahi’s cross.
—
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 20 June 2026
Homeless people overrunning the city.
—Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026
The most basic natural method for keeping weeds from overrunning your pavers is manual removal.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 16 May 2026
Gardening apps can drain a phone battery lightning-fast, like aphids overrunning your tomatoes.
—Jamie Siebrase, Denver Post, 8 May 2026
Then in 2021, the federal government, which manages polar bears, halted boat tours, mostly over concerns about how tourists were affecting bear behavior and overrunning the town.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
In the fifth, Byron Buxton hit a double and was tagged out after overrunning the base.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 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
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 20 June 2026
Homeless people overrunning the city.
—Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026
The most basic natural method for keeping weeds from overrunning your pavers is manual removal.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 16 May 2026
Gardening apps can drain a phone battery lightning-fast, like aphids overrunning your tomatoes.
—Jamie Siebrase, Denver Post, 8 May 2026
Then in 2021, the federal government, which manages polar bears, halted boat tours, mostly over concerns about how tourists were affecting bear behavior and overrunning the town.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
In the fifth, Byron Buxton hit a double and was tagged out after overrunning the base.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overrunning
Verb
-
There are some who think a more decisive response by President Obama might have made Vladimir Putin think twice before invading Ukraine again.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
Beyond failing to qualify for the 2024 Euros, Barbarez admonished the association’s leadership for its 2022 decision to schedule friendlies with Russia soon after it was banned by FIFA and UEFA for invading Ukraine.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Temperatures have reached a heat index exceeding 110 degrees.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
23 June 2026
-
Ultimately, every hire should create value equal to or exceeding the investment the company makes in hiring, developing, and compensating them.—
Johnny C. Taylor Jr,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
Verb
-
To prevent the New World Screwworm from infesting Florida, the state is blocking rescue dogs and cats coming from Texas and New Mexico.—
CBS Miami Team,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
The moths infesting a pantry are not the same as moths hiding in your closet.—
Lauren Wicks,
Southern Living,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Want to stop raiding the fridge every night before bed?—
Dr. Deepika Chopra,
Flow Space,
16 June 2026
-
While our dreams of raiding Tay Tay’s closet will likely never come true, that won’t stop of from borrowing her style and shopping Swift’s favorite designer brands.—
Jessie Quinn,
StyleCaster,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
This approach will enable capabilities far surpassing current models while consuming a mere fraction of the energy.—
Rob Toews,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2026
-
In total, the film series has collected more than $3 billion at the global box office since the first film debuted in 1995, with two of its installments surpassing $1 billion each worldwide.—
Sarah Whitten,
CNBC,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
For many years, both NASA and its Russian counterpart Roscosmos have struggled to contain persistent leaks plaguing the International Space Station.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
18 June 2026
-
His £55million move to Newcastle from Brentford last summer has proven disastrous so far, with injuries plaguing him and only three goals all season.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
For cybersecurity companies, identifying a digital agent crawling a website used to be enough evidence of malicious activity.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
17 June 2026
-
The challenge, of course, is that cleaning baseboards often involves crawling around on hands and knees, a task few people are eager to do.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overrunning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overrunning. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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