overpopulation
Britishnoun
Explanation
Overpopulation is what happens when there are too many members of a species. An overpopulation of deer can lead to more of them being hit by cars and more gardens being nibbled. When the population of any group is too large for its environment to support, that's overpopulation. That can mean so many people inhabiting a region that there's not enough food for everyone, or an overabundance of rabbits in an area with no natural predators. An overpopulation of pets in the U.S. means that unwanted cats and dogs have to be euthanized every year; there are just too many of them for the number of available adopters.
Vocabulary lists containing overpopulation
Human Geography - Middle School
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Human Geography - High School
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Biodiversity and Humans - Middle School and High School
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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.
"Being too permissive with wild animals has led to an overpopulation of rabbits, deer and wild boar," says Òscar Ordeig, the minister for agriculture, fisheries and food in the regional government of Catalonia.
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026
In our own day, overpopulation pessimism has given way to very real worries that we aren’t replacing ourselves.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025
"Where we have problems, and where everyone in Europe has problems, is with the wild boar population, because there is overpopulation," said Higuera.
From Barron's • Dec. 2, 2025
A book club meets a cat cafe at Long Beach’s Cool Cat Collective, a gallery and boutique committed to fighting cat overpopulation in L.A.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025
We exhibit photos and show a video of all sorts of chimpanzee behaviors, and there is a big section on the dangers of deforestation, overgrazing, and overpopulation.
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
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.
