overpopulate

[ oh-ver-pop-yuh-leyt ]

/ ˌoʊ vərˈpɒp yəˌleɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR overpopulate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), o·ver·pop·u·lat·ed, o·ver·pop·u·lat·ing.

to fill with an excessive number of people, straining available resources and facilities: Expanding industry has overpopulated the western suburbs.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Take this quiz to see if you really know the difference between “compliment” and “complement"!

Question 1 of 11

“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

True

False

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of overpopulate

First recorded in 1865–70; over- + populate

OTHER WORDS FROM overpopulate

o·ver·pop·u·la·tion, noun

Words nearby overpopulate

overpeople, overpersuade, overpitch, overplay, overplus, overpopulate, overpopulated, overpopulation, overpotential, overpower, overpowering

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for overpopulation

Overpopulation is the single most important public health problem in the world.
How Over-the-Counter Birth Control Could Screw You|Kent Sepkowitz|November 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Fortunately, though, overpopulation has a remedy: birth control.
How Over-the-Counter Birth Control Could Screw You|Kent Sepkowitz|November 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He harangues people about overpopulation, SUVs, and carbon emissions.
Things Jonathan Franzen Says Are Bad for Society: Kakutani, Facebook|Josh Dzieza|March 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Cousin Yachkovich begins again at his talk on overpopulation.
Hania|Henryk Sienkiewicz

The birth control movement assumes that the world suffers from overpopulation.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley
Here was a crop so easy of culture and of such nourishing qualities that it led to overpopulation and all its attendant ills.
Our Foreigners|Samuel P. Orth
The alternative to overpopulation and its remedy emigration is found in preventive checks to increase.
Influences of Geographic Environment|Ellen Churchill Semple
Another matter that must be taken into consideration in the question of overpopulation, is the severity of the climate.
Social Problems in Porto Rico|Fred K. Fleagle

British Dictionary definitions for overpopulation

overpopulation

/ (ˌəʊvəˌpɒpjʊˈleɪʃən) /

noun

the population of an area in too large numbers

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

Scientific definitions for overpopulation