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over-use

British  

verb

  1. to use excessively

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. excessive use

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

See Examples For:

But decades of over-use, coupled with years of drought, have put crippling strain on a watercourse whose management has always been based on an over-allocation of available resources.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

From a neurochemical perspective, "the psychological mechanisms behind 'never wrongs' include a complex web of defensive processes, most commonly the over-use of primary, or lower-order defense mechanisms," Behr added.

From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2023

But the chemical bombardment is beginning to worry scientists who fear over-use of pesticides is harming pollinators and worsening a growing threat to birds that eat insects.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 18, 2022

Tesla's chosen site borders a water protection area, and environmental groups have expressed concern the factory could contaminate and over-use its groundwater sources.

From Reuters ● Sep. 28, 2021

I gave them names, and they had to admit that there had been inquiries, but they felt that the main details were nightmares, resulting from an over-use of Italian wines.

From Tiger Cat by David H. Keller

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