overbook

American  

[oh-ver-book] / ˌoʊ vərˈbʊk /

verb (used with object)

• overbooks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• overbooked,
  past participle,  past
• overbooking
  present participle

1. to accept reservations for in excess of the number that can be accommodated.

   The airline routinely overbooks its flights so as to fill its planes even if there are last-minute cancellations.

---

verb (used without object)

• overbooks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• overbooked,
  past participle,  past
• overbooking
  present participle

1. to accept reservations in excess of the number that can be accommodated.

   If the hotel has overbooked, some of the conventioners won't have a place to stay.

overbook British  

/ ˈəʊvəˌbuːk /

verb

1. (tr) to make more reservations than there are places, tickets, hotel rooms, etc, available

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• overbooking
  present
• overbooked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• overbook
  simple
• overbooks
  simple
• have overbooked
  perfect
• has overbooked
  perfect
• am overbooking
  progressive
• are overbooking
  progressive
• is overbooking
  progressive
• have been overbooking
  perfect progressive
• has been overbooking
  perfect progressive

Past

• overbooked
  simple
• had overbooked
  perfect
• was overbooking
  progressive
• were overbooking
  progressive
• had been overbooking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will overbook
  simple
• will have overbooked
  perfect
• will be overbooking
  progressive
• will have been overbooking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of overbook

1900–05; over- + book (v.)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

overbook overbooks overbooked overbooking

Cursory research shows that medical providers of all kinds routinely overbook patient appointments to make up for lost revenue from no-shows and late arrivals.

From MarketWatch ● May 1, 2026

Indiana Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box said last week that the wait for an appointment could be extended from three weeks to six weeks or more to ensure the system does not overbook.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 29, 2021

"Does that mean we should overbook flights and start charging for everything? We don't think so."

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2018

But he dismissed concerns among some investors over mounting deferrals and cancellations of orders because planemakers typically "overbook" to dampen the risk of airline failures.

From Reuters ● Jan. 11, 2017

Hotels need to acknowledge that guaranteed reservations are contracts, just as airlines do when they overbook flights.

From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2011

The same way an airline overbooks tickets for a flight, if all the passengers show up, the airline must compensate the ones who are bumped from the plane.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2023

The company also overbooks technicians, leading to late and missed appointments, and relies heavily on contract labor, where quality control can be difficult.

From The Verge ● Aug. 19, 2014

For instance, the line commonly overbooks, and sometimes on domestic flights extra passengers squeeze aboard as standees.

From Time Magazine Archive

Lewis, was overbooked, but knew Hopkins played piano and asked if he also composed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

A hotel receptionist said rooms that were overbooked just a few weeks ago now stood empty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

But cruise experts say such offers are typically connected to an overbooked sailing.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 19, 2026

"You could turn up ready to pay for your hotel on arrival and the hotel had a better offer and became overbooked."

From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025

"Sir, it seems that the flight has been accidentally overbooked, by about 300 people."

From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Winn Schwartau

Raheja admitted to making false statements to federal agents in 2023, including denying that the overbooking practices were intentional, according to the plea agreement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, or FIFA, said it has already canceled some hotel reservations after overbooking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026

Cruise experts aren’t surprised to hear these overbooking scenarios are happening.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 19, 2026

Then they also created an approach for finding the size for tiles that takes advantage of overbooking.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2023

What’s more, airlines practice their own form of deception by overbooking their flights and hoping some passengers don’t show up.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 26, 2023