overrun
Americanverb (used with object)
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to rove over (a country, region, etc.); invade; ravage.
a time when looting hordes had overrun the province.
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to swarm over in great numbers, as animals, especially vermin; infest.
The house had been overrun by rats.
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to spread or grow rapidly over, as plants, especially vines, weeds, etc..
a garden overrun with weeds.
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to attack and defeat decisively, occupying and controlling the enemy's position; overwhelm.
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to spread rapidly throughout, as a new idea or spirit.
a rekindling of scholarship that had overrun Europe.
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to run or go beyond, as a certain limit.
The new jet overran the landing field.
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to exceed, as a budget or estimate.
to overrun one's allotted time.
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to run over; overflow.
During the flood season, the river overruns its banks for several miles.
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Printing.
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to print additional copies of (a book, pamphlet, etc.) in excess of the original or the usual order.
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to carry over (type or words) to another page.
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Nautical.
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to sail past (an intended stopping or turning point) by accident.
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(of a ship) to complete (a schedule of calls) more rapidly than anticipated.
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to outrun; overtake in running.
verb (used without object)
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to run over; overflow.
a stream that always overruns at springtime.
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to exceed the proper, desired, or normal quantity, limit, order, etc..
Do you want to overrun on this next issue?
noun
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an act or instance of overrunning.
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an amount in excess; surplus.
an overrun of 10,000 copies of a new book.
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the exceeding of estimated costs in design, development, and production, especially as estimated in a contract.
a staggering overrun on the new fighter plane.
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the amount exceeded.
an overrun of $500,000 for each fighter plane.
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a run on an item of manufacture beyond the quantity ordered by a customer and often offered at a discount.
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the amount by which the volume of a food, as butter or ice cream, is increased above the original volume by the inclusion of air, water, or another substance.
With only a 20 percent overrun, this is an excellent ice cream.
verb
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(tr) to attack or invade and defeat conclusively
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(tr) to swarm or spread over rapidly
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to run over (something); overflow
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to extend or run beyond a limit
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(intr) (of an engine) to run with a closed throttle at a speed dictated by that of the vehicle it drives, as on a decline
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(tr)
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to print (a book, journal, etc) in a greater quantity than ordered
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to print additional copies of (a publication)
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(tr) printing to transfer (set type and other matter) from one column, line, or page, to another
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archaic (tr) to run faster than
noun
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the act or an instance of overrunning
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the amount or extent of overrunning
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the number of copies of a publication in excess of the quantity ordered
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the cleared level area at the end of an airport runway
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have overrunperfect
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has overrunperfect 3rd person singular
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has been overrunningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am overrunningprogressive 1st person singular
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is overrunningprogressive 3rd person singular
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are overrunningprogressive
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have been overrunningperfect progressive
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overrunningparticiple
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overrunssingular 3rd person
Past
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had overrunperfect
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had been overrunningperfect progressive
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was overrunningprogressive singular
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overrunparticiple
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were overrunningprogressive plural
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overransimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of overrun
First recorded before 900; Middle English overrennen, Old English oferyrnan; see over-, run
Explanation
Overrun means being populated in huge numbers or occupied in some way. Your beautiful beach town may be peaceful in the winter but overrun by tourists every summer. You can use this verb for a successful invading army: "The troops managed to overrun the entire peninsula, reclaiming the land they'd lost." It's also good for other kinds of invasions and infestations: "They closed my dog's daycare because it was overrun by fleas." The earliest meaning, still used today, was "continue beyond a specified time," like the class that overruns by fifteen minutes, making you very late to third-period math.
Vocabulary lists containing overrun
Background on Pearl Harbor
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Unit 5, Week 5
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: over-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was brought in to balance out the highly cyclical sales and earnings from chips, but now that segment is getting overrun by AI chip sales.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
Over Mother’s Day weekend, Andy Milheizler’s quiet Atlanta cul-de-sac was overrun with empty Waymo vehicles.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
Still, Jefferies analyst Randal Konik said in a note on Monday that Lululemon’s stores over recent years had become overrun with patterns like florals and animal prints, with lower-quality fabrics.
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
Sources said it was overrun by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, near the port of Qana.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
Venice is overrun, Mars said, as Rome was about to be.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
