verb
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to build over or on top of
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to erect too many buildings in (an area)
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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.
See Examples For:
“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 it is true that memory prices are surging and major manufacturers haven’t significantly increased production or capital expenditures, history shows commodity chip suppliers always overbuild capacity at some point in the semiconductor cycle.
From Barron's ● Jan. 7, 2026
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
The bear case, on the other hand, is that the massive wave of AI infrastructure spending results in overbuilding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
In a Wednesday note, Thill called overbuilding concerns “backward,” highlighting that demand for computing power continues to outstrip supply.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
The business had been weakened by years of overbuilding, then battered by the pandemic as thousands of elderly residents died.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
A new study projects lower home prices and increased overbuilding risk in coming decades due to shifting demographics.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
And these technological therapies would have to be constructed, she said, so that they don’t invite their own side effects, like, say, overbuilding one neural network.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
That could be a worrisome sign for capital spending on AI going forward, signaling some of tech’s biggest spenders believe they have overbuilt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Only an overbuilt city can offer tenants security and freedom.
From Slate ● Sep. 10, 2024
By the end, the playing space, like the once pristine frontier, is so overbuilt you can see little else.
From New York Times ● Jun. 18, 2024
Banksy’s L.A. mural, 2010’s “Swing Girl,” is downtown, visible only from a deep alley between buildings — which is the point it makes about overbuilt places.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2024
On the immediate local front, reports showed that rental rates for apartments in Odessa had dropped 10 percent and occupancy rates 8 percent, boding disaster for a market that was woefully overbuilt from the boom.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
