overkill
Americannoun
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the capacity of a nation to destroy, by nuclear weapons, more of an enemy than would be necessary for a military victory.
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an instance of such destruction.
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an excess of what is required or suitable, as because of zeal or misjudgment.
noun
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the capability to deploy more weapons, esp nuclear weapons, than is necessary to ensure military advantage
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any capacity or treatment that is greater than that required or appropriate
Etymology
Origin of overkill
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.
The overkill hits its nadir when the Bride repeatedly wails the survivors’ hashtag, “Me too!”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026
Still, the assembled armada seems overkill for that goal.
From Slate • Feb. 19, 2026
But I would agree with Williams that it was probably overkill.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 16, 2026
Together, they represent overkill of an enormity that should be considered essentially unfathomable.
From Salon • Dec. 7, 2025
However, the overkill hypothesis, as it is termed, has not gone unchallenged for Australia/New Guinea.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
