overkill

[oh-ver-kil]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR overkill ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the capacity of a nation to destroy, by nuclear weapons, more of an enemy than would be necessary for a military victory.

an instance of such destruction.

an excess of what is required or suitable, as because of zeal or misjudgment.

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Origin of overkill

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50; over- + kill¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for overkill

Do you tell [people] the shocking truth -- that he was practically cut in half from the overkill of ammo fired into his body?
Whitey Bulger and the FBI Whitewash|T.J. English|November 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
While we may have reached peak Downey here, his gift for gab—even under the most dire of circumstances—never seems like overkill.
‘Iron Man 3,’ Starring Robert Downey Jr., Is Loud, Quippy, Ridiculous Fun|Marlow Stern|May 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She denied that the 10 days of constant attacks amounted to overkill.
DNC Chief: Sununu Went 'Into the Gutter'|Howard Kurtz|July 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The same would apply to Democratic spending, too, of course, but the Democrats are less likely to hit the point of overkill.
Super PACs and Saturation Advertising|Michael Tomasky|May 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST

At a certain point, political experts started to wonder whether it was overkill, as Gingrich started dropping in the polls.
Mitt Romney Defends Florida Spending, Says It ‘Served Me Well’|Lois Romano|January 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for overkill

overkill

noun

the capability to deploy more weapons, esp nuclear weapons, than is necessary to ensure military advantage

any capacity or treatment that is greater than that required or appropriate

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

Word Origin and History for overkill

overkill

1958, from over- + kill (v.). Originally in reference to nuclear arsenals; the general sense is from 1965. The verb is attested from 1946.