overspill

noun

over·​spill ˈō-vər-ˌspil How to pronounce overspill (audio)
1
: the act or an instance of spilling over
2
chiefly British : the movement of excess urban population into less crowded areas

Examples of overspill in a Sentence

an overspill into nearby towns a new town built to absorb London's overspill
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
What can be anticipated is a busier peak season, thanks to overspill from the Paris Olympics (listen for the roars of soccer fans coming from Nice Stadium). Chloé Braithwaite, New York Times, 25 July 2024 Aquavit Terrace is another dining venue, overlooking the swimming pools, with seating to accommodate overspill from the buffet. Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon, Travel + Leisure, 15 July 2024 Local conflicts were made more lethal by a second factor: the overspill of the decades-long Chadian civil war, which began in 1966. Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2023 This mid-rise, medium coverage, seamless underwear easily absorbed 5 teaspoons of liquid in our tests without any overspill. Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 1 Sep. 2023 This pick comes in a whopping 45 sizes and four colors, and does a fantastic job of shaping breasts without any overspill. Daley Quinn, Health, 6 Feb. 2023 So far this bathing season, Surfers Against Sewage has logged 654 notifications of sewage overspill from 171 locations. Julia Buckley, CNN, 27 Aug. 2022 The region of Al Wathba is home to a beautiful oasis-like wetland reserve created, so the story goes, by an overspill from a water treatment facility. Barry Neild, CNN, 23 June 2022 The room and the overspill viewing area in the lobby were at capacity. Nicole Carr, ProPublica, 16 June 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of overspill was in 1884

Dictionary Entries Near overspill

Cite this Entry

“Overspill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overspill. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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