overpopulate

verb

over·​pop·​u·​late ˌō-vər-ˈpä-pyə-ˌlāt How to pronounce overpopulate (audio)
overpopulated; overpopulating; overpopulates

transitive verb

: to populate too densely : furnish or provide with more than the environment or market will bear

intransitive verb

: to become overly populous

Examples of overpopulate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Many community planning groups have been overpopulated by persons resistant to change. Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2024 On Thursday, supporters of Proposition 47 criticized the initiative, painting it as a return to 1990s-era strategies that fueled historic prison overpopulating. Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024 Big game like elk and deer can overpopulate a habitat, especially if there is a lack of predators. Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 20 Jan. 2024 In-house and open-source solutions are useful for customers who find commercial SIEM platforms overpopulated with excessive features and are ready to support and modify their products or engage third-party specialists. David Balaban, Forbes, 17 July 2023 See all Example Sentences for overpopulate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overpopulate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of overpopulate was in 1828

Dictionary Entries Near overpopulate

Cite this Entry

“Overpopulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overpopulate. Accessed 24 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

overpopulate

verb
over·​pop·​u·​late -ˈpäp-yə-ˌlāt How to pronounce overpopulate (audio)
: to populate too densely : cause to have too great a population
the city was overpopulated and polluted

More from Merriam-Webster on overpopulate

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!