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overpopulate

[oh-ver-pop-yuh-leyt]
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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.

RELATED WORDS

bottleneck, profusion, jam, mass, excess, press, surplus, surfeit, crowding, snarl-up, overcrowding, overdevelopment

Nearby words

  1. overpeople,
  2. overpersuade,
  3. overpitch,
  4. overplay,
  5. overplus,
  6. overpopulated,
  7. overpopulation,
  8. overpotential,
  9. overpower,
  10. overpowering

Origin of overpopulate

First recorded in 1865–70; over- + populate
Related formso·ver·pop·u·la·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for overpopulation

British Dictionary definitions for overpopulation

overpopulation

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
Science definitions for overpopulation

overpopulation

[ō′vər-pŏp′yə-lā′shən]

The population of an environment by a particular species in excess of the environment's carrying capacity. The effects of overpopulation can include the depletion of resources, environmental deterioration, and the prevalence of famine and disease.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.