overrun
verb
over·run
| \ ˌō-vər-ˈrən
, ˌō-və-\
, ˌō-və-\
overran\ ˌō-vər-ˈran
, ˌō-və- \;
overrun;
overrunning
, ˌō-və- \;
overrun;
overrunning
Definition of overrun
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a(1)
: to defeat decisively and occupy the positions of
(2)
: to invade and occupy or ravage
b
: to spread or swarm over : infest
2a
: to run or go beyond or past
the plane overran the runway
b
: exceed
overrun a budget
c
: to readjust (set type) by shifting letters or words from one line into another
3
: to flow over
the river overran its banks
overrun
noun
over·run
| \ ˈō-vər-ˌrən
, ˈō-və-\
, ˈō-və-\
Definition of overrun (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: an act or instance of overrunning
especially
: an exceeding of the costs estimated in a contract for development and manufacture of new equipment
2
: the amount by which something overruns
3
: a run in excess of the quantity ordered by a customer
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Examples of overrun in a Sentence
Verb
The tank divisions overran the countryside. The city was being overrun by enemy troops. The plane overran the runway. His speech overran the time allowed.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The Egyptian cut inside and slightly overran the ball, which fell perfectly for Firmino who sent a shot through a defender's legs and past Pope to wrap up a solid day's work for Jurgen Klopp's side. — SI.com, "Twitter Reacts as Solid Liverpool Smash Burnley 3-0 to Go Top of the Premier League," 31 Aug. 2019 The papers say that there will be record travel to Italy— Museums will be overrun, and there will be long panini lines. — Claire Friedman, The New Yorker, "Prayers of the Summer Traveller," 30 Aug. 2019 The militia have overrun military camps and government buildings in Abyan and Adan. — Washington Post, "Yemen officials: Government forces take separatist camps," 24 Aug. 2019 That single-minded devotion overran nearly every other constituent, pushing aside the interests of customers, employees and communities. — Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, "How Shareholder Democracy Failed the People," 20 Aug. 2019 Flights were canceled when protesters overran the airport, and bookings are down. — Julia Horowitz, CNN, "Can the world's central banks save the bull market?," 18 Aug. 2019 His tee shot overran the pin, and wound up 20 feet behind, just in the rough. — Shawn Mcfarland, courant.com, "Jack Heath wins Boys Junior PGA Championship with record-breaking score, clutch putt on 18; Milford’s James top local finisher," 2 Aug. 2019 Although Jerusalem’s southern defenses held, the invaders ultimately overran the city. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Archeologists confirm near-legendary tale of crusaders’ siege of Jerusalem," 24 July 2019 In the fifth inning, center fielder Nick Senzel overran a groundball single, which rolled underneath his glove. — Bobby Nightengale, Cincinnati.com, "Defensive mistakes add up in the Cincinnati Reds' loss to the Colorado Rockies," 14 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
But in claims submitted shortly before its firing, the contracting team projected the project would take until February 2024, with cost overruns of $288 million. — Jon Murray, The Denver Post, "Denver airport renovation reboot will face council scrutiny," 30 Aug. 2019 Construction got bogged down; cost overruns caused the project to be downsized, and NSF fired the project’s original managers, who had been drawn primarily from the scientific community. — Elizabeth Pennisi, Science | AAAS, "NSF’s huge ecological observatory is open for business. But tensions remain," 29 Aug. 2019 The drone, under development for several years, reportedly experienced cost overruns and was behind schedule for several years. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Russia’s New 'Altair' Spy Drone Takes to the Skies," 22 Aug. 2019 Hartford expects to be reimbursed shortly for a $1.2 million loan made in February to cover construction cost overruns at Dillon Stadium, a city spokesperson said Thursday. — Rebecca Lurye, courant.com, "Hartford expects to be reimbursed shortly for $1.2 million parks trust fund loan to Dillon Stadium construction," 22 Aug. 2019 The board is likely to propose another bond in 2020 to wrap up a set of $790 million construction projects originally approved by voters in 2017, where cost overruns have put the final price tag for completion at $1 billion. — oregonlive.com, "Portland voters will decide in November whether to renew levy to fund teachers," 14 Aug. 2019 But if inefficiencies can’t be ironed out, the provider, not the insurance company, is on the hook for the overrun. — Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Hospitals lose money caring for mental health patients; is there a better way?," 1 July 2019 The renovations are handled by outside contractors, but many rely on Amherst for most of their business, so costs are predictable and overruns are rare. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, "Meet the A.I. Landlord That’s Building a Single-Family-Home Empire," 21 June 2019 The end result was a $7.3 million overrun for the event. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "Report: Trump still owes D.C. $7 million for inauguration," 14 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'overrun.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for overrun
overrun
verb
English Language Learners Definition of overrun
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to enter and be present in (a place) in large numbers
: to run or go beyond or past (something)
: to spread over or throughout (something)
overrun
noun
English Language Learners Definition of overrun (Entry 2 of 2)
: an amount of money that is spent and that is more than the expected or planned amount
See the full definition for overrun in the English Language Learners Dictionary
overrun
verb
over·run
| \ ˌō-vər-ˈrən
\
\
overran\ -ˈran \;
overrun;
overrunning
Kids Definition of overrun
1
: to take over and occupy by force
The outpost was overrun by the enemy.