glut

American  

[gluht] / glʌt /

verb (used with object)

glutted, glutting

1. to feed or fill to satiety; sate.

   to glut the appetite.

   Synonyms:

   satiate, stuff, surfeit

2. to feed or fill to excess; cloy.

3. to flood (the market) with a particular item or service so that the supply greatly exceeds the demand.

4. to choke up.

   to glut a channel.

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verb (used without object)

glutted, glutting

1. to eat to satiety or to excess.

   Synonyms:

   cram, gorge

noun

1. a full supply.

2. an excessive supply or amount; surfeit.

   Synonyms:

   superabundance, excess, surplus

3. an act of glutting or the state of being glutted.

glut British  

/ ɡlʌt /

noun

1. an excessive amount, as in the production of a crop, often leading to a fall in price

2. the act of glutting or state of being glutted

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verb

1. to feed or supply beyond capacity

2. to supply (a market) with a commodity in excess of the demand for it

3. to cram full or choke up

   to glut a passage

glut Cultural  

1. An oversupply of goods on the market.

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Other Word Forms

• gluttingly
  adverb
• overglut
  verb (used with object)
• unglutted
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of glut

1275–1325; Middle English gluten, back formation from glutun glutton ¹

Explanation

A glut is too much of something. A glut of gas in the marketplace can lower its price. A glut of heavy metal T-shirts in your dresser, however, has nothing to do with the economy but might be a signal that it's time to clean your room. Glut comes from the Old French gloter, meaning "to swallow too much." The glottis is the part of your body where your vocal folds reside and where you swallow. If you go to the movies alone and get the family tub of popcorn, you are glutting yourself on the salty snack, but do try not to get any popcorn stuck in your glottis. Glut is used more commonly in reference to the economics of the marketplace, where an oversupply of one thing lowers prices.

Example Sentences

He’s credited with calling not just the spike in oil prices that helped precipitate the global financial crisis of 2007-2009, but also the oil glut that followed over the next decade.

From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026

But when we all feel like we have to create something in every step of the process, there is a glut of content.

From Slate • May 3, 2026

He also has posted a glut of social media sizzles of book-inspired photo shoots.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

The recent rally marked a U-turn from just a few months ago, when some analysts projected an oil glut that could push prices as low as $50 a barrel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Its electric doors whooshed open and a glut of passengers spilled out.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

Related Words

• oversupply
• saturation
• surplus