overcrowd

[oh-ver-kroud]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to crowd to an uncomfortable or undesirable excess.

overcrowd

/ ˌəʊvəˈkraʊd /

verb

1. (tr) to fill (a room, vehicle, city, etc) with more people or things than is desirable

Word History and Origins

Origin of overcrowd¹

First recorded in 1760–70; over- + crowd ¹

Example Sentences

The city of Paris has launched a lottery to restore funerary monuments within the overcrowded cemeteries of Père-Lachaise, Montparnasse and Montmartre.

Read more on BBC

A fortnight into her new job as governor of an overcrowded, understaffed jail, Sharanne Findlay faced what she described as the worst week of her career.

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Their release was part of an emergency government scheme to help ease overcrowding in prisons.

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This election was partly fought on migration and overcrowded asylum centres, but the biggest issue for voters was the chronic housing shortage of almost 400,000 homes, in a population of 18 million.

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Social gatherings spill out onto sunny patios, bands play live music outdoors around the base areas, and resort-sponsored festivities in the fresh air are plentiful, offering welcome relief from the overcrowded indoor spaces of midwinter.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cluster 
• congest 
• congregate 
• deluge 
• flock 
• gather 
• huddle 
• pack 
• pile 
• squeeze 
• stream 
• swamp 
• swarm 
• throng