overcapacity

[ oh-ver-kuh-pas-i-tee ]

noun,plural o·ver·ca·pac·i·ties.

capacity beyond what is normal, allowed, or desirable.

Origin of overcapacity

First recorded in 1925–30; over- + capacity

Words Nearby overcapacity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use overcapacity in a sentence

That leaves some labs stretched to overcapacity while others stand idle.
Why It's Way Harder to Get Tested for Monkeypox Than It Should Be | Jeffrey Kluger | July 22, 2022 | Time
The petrochemicals industry is already burdened with overcapacity, even as it pours billions into capacity expansions.
Big Oil’s hopes are pinned on plastics. It won’t end well. | David Roberts | September 4, 2020 | Vox
Rising competition and overcapacity in the panel-producing industry has driven down the cost of solar panel systems.
Solar Power Burns Old Utilities’ Business Models | Daniel Gross | April 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
America has a vast overcapacity of things like bedrooms, cars, and conference rooms, all of them idle most of the time.
How Will AirBnB Change the World? | Megan McArdle | January 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Despite this existing overcapacity, another 1.4 billion gallons of distilling capacity is under construction.
The Next Spill Victim: Your Car | Robert Bryce | May 9, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for overcapacity

overcapacity

/ (ˌəʊvəkəˈpæsɪtɪ) /

noun

the situation in which an industry or business cannot sell as much as it produces

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

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