overstuff

American

[oh-ver-stuhf] / ˌoʊ vərˈstʌf /

verb (used with object)

to force too much into.

If you overstuff your suitcase, the fastenings may not hold.
Furniture. to cover completely with deep upholstery.

overstuff British

/ ˌəʊvəˈstʌf /

verb

to force too much into
to cover (furniture) entirely with upholstery

"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

Etymology

Origin of overstuff

First recorded in 1935–40; over- + stuff

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 fact that the filmmakers don’t overstuff the film with friends and experts lets her career and life speak for itself.

From Salon

I realize I’m lightly kicking the top of my overstuffed backpack and stop.

From Literature

At times, however, the prose can feel overstuffed, as if mirroring the abundance of the dictionary it celebrates.

From The Wall Street Journal

The album is overstuffed, eccentric, kitsch, dramatic and a little bit exhausting.

From BBC

It can feel overstuffed, and some sections of this thematically arranged presentation can feel tenuously connected to the central idea of “what it means to be human in the face of sweeping technological changes.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023