over·dose
ˈō-vər-ˌdōs 
1
: too great a dose (as of a therapeutic agent)
also
: a lethal or toxic amount (as of a drug)
2
: an excessive quantity or amount
an overdose of fun
over·dose
ˌō-vər-ˈdōs
overdosed; overdosing; overdoses
: to give an overdose or too many doses to
: to take or experience an overdose
—usually used with on
Examples of overdose in a Sentence
Noun
She died from a cocaine overdose.
Recent Examples on the Web
Barnini Chakraborty, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Dec. 2024
More than 100,000 Americans have been dying annually in recent years from drug overdoses, and 75% of those deaths involved opioids, according to the National Institutes of Health.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
In Fond du Lac, after an 18-year-old overdosed on fentanyl, the district attorney brought homicide charges against three boys under 18, all in the adult system.
—Lizzie Presser, ProPublica, 28 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for overdose 
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Noun
Breed was tasked with getting the city through the COVID-19 pandemic, dealing with a surge of drug overdose deaths, rampant homelessness, untreated mental illness, the racial justice protests of 2020, a rise in retail theft, and the collapse of the downtown area’s economy.
—Barnini Chakraborty, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Dec. 2024
More than 100,000 Americans have been dying annually in recent years from drug overdoses, and 75% of those deaths involved opioids, according to the National Institutes of Health.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
Advertisement Her brother Prince, a genre-fusing master of music, died in 2016 after accidentally overdosing on fentanyl.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
In Fond du Lac, after an 18-year-old overdosed on fentanyl, the district attorney brought homicide charges against three boys under 18, all in the adult system.
—Lizzie Presser, ProPublica, 28 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for overdose
Dictionary Entries Near overdose
Cite this Entry
“Overdose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overdose. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
overdose
2 of 2 verb
over·dose
ˌō-vər-ˈdōs
1
: to give an overdose or too many doses to
2
: to take or experience an overdose
overdosed on heroin
Medical Definition
overdose
1 of 2 noun
over·dose
ˈō-vər-ˌdōs
: too great a dose (as of a therapeutic agent)
an overdose of exposure to the sun—Morris Fishbein
Morris Fishbein
also
: a lethal or toxic amount (as of a drug)
overdose
2 of 2 verb
over·dose
ˌō-vər-ˈdōs
overdosed; overdosing
: to give an overdose or too many doses to
: to take or experience an overdose
—usually used with on
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