overgraze

[oh-ver-greyz, oh-ver-greyz]

verb (used with object)

overgrazed, overgrazing 

1. to graze (land) to excess.

overgraze

/ ˌəʊvəˈɡreɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to graze (land) beyond its capacity to sustain stock

Word History and Origins

Origin of overgraze¹

over- + graze ¹

Example Sentences

“It doesn’t make sense for us to overuse or overgraze the land when we need to come back to it,” she said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I learned that cattle had an awesome tendency to overgraze this luscious stuff, becoming dangerously bloated with gas unless they were carefully acclimated to consumption over time, and that my best efforts, and those of my trusty shepherd dog, seldom succeeded in getting the Guernsey rogues out of the field before they sickened themselves.

Read more on Salon

Ecological theory basically says if you have a really simple food chain — like the classic example of sea otters, urchin and kelp; one plant, one herbivore and one predator — if a predator is removed then urchins will overgraze on kelp.

Read more on Seattle Times

“The horse herd in the South Unit, particularly at higher herd sizes, has the potential to damage fences used for wildlife management, trample or overgraze vegetation used by native wildlife species, contribute to erosion and soil-related impacts … and compete for food and water resources,” according to a Park Service environmental assessment from September 2023.

Read more on Seattle Times

“It’s quite horrific to see when kangaroo numbers get really high and they overgraze,” he said.

Read more on Washington Post