overvoltage

American

[oh-ver-vohl-tij] / ˈoʊ vərˌvoʊl tɪdʒ /

noun

Electricity. excess voltage.
Physics. the amount by which the voltage applied to an ionization chamber exceeds the Geiger-Müller threshold.

overvoltage British

/ ˈəʊvəˌvəʊltɪdʒ /

noun

a voltage above the normal level

"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 overvoltage

First recorded in 1905–10; over- + voltage

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 European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity said in a report earlier this month that the April blackout was caused by overvoltage, as the grid struggled to tackle sudden power losses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 14, 2025

A final report, to be published in the first quarter of next year, will investigate the root causes of the overvoltage and the actions employed to control voltage in the system.

From BBC • Oct. 3, 2025

The ability for PV to make more power than would be used in a neighborhood creates a situation where there is "overvoltage."

From Scientific American • Dec. 20, 2013

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