verb
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to build over or on top of
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to erect too many buildings in (an area)
-
to build too large or elaborately
Etymology
Origin of overbuild
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.
“AI is in the midst of a capex boom with genuine risks: uncertain monetization, potential overbuild, shortening asset lives, and growing reliance on debt.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
While this overbuild of capacity eventually proved useful, it initially led to poor returns on invested capital as telecom companies poured billions into infrastructure that sat idle for many years.
From Barron's • Dec. 26, 2025
When you are in this quarterly apparel fashion business, you overbuild and you are discounting.
From The Verge • Jul. 4, 2022
In response, a large body of exercise science shows, our bodies initiate a variety of cellular mechanisms that fix the tears and strains and, in most cases, overbuild the affected parts.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 7, 2022
“What the models said was dramatically overbuild solar, and either export it when you have excess production or curtailment,” said Edward Randolph, who leads the regulatory agency’s energy division.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2019
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.
