as in surplus
the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed
the song already borders on the maudlin—the addition of a syrupy string accompaniment would just be overkill
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Recent Examples of overkill
Rivalries Are Easier To Exploit In any other region, the burden Concacaf places on teams would be seen as obvious overkill.
—
Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
In an age when blockbuster overkill is supposed to be saving movies, the film reminds you that the real salvation of cinema will always come from those who understand that making a movie should be a magic trick good enough to fool the magician himself into believing it.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 May 2025
This might sound like overkill, but as the car heats up and snow starts to slide, roof snow can fall onto windshields and obscure vision at intersections or when pressing on the brakes.
—Kade Krichko, Outside Online, 6 Mar. 2025
Since the 2015 Progeny box already gave us seven full concerts from the same tour, an additional show is welcome, but a bit of an overkill.
—Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overkill
Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
In an age when blockbuster overkill is supposed to be saving movies, the film reminds you that the real salvation of cinema will always come from those who understand that making a movie should be a magic trick good enough to fool the magician himself into believing it.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 May 2025
This might sound like overkill, but as the car heats up and snow starts to slide, roof snow can fall onto windshields and obscure vision at intersections or when pressing on the brakes.
—Kade Krichko, Outside Online, 6 Mar. 2025
Since the 2015 Progeny box already gave us seven full concerts from the same tour, an additional show is welcome, but a bit of an overkill.
—Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overkill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overkill
Noun
-
The question now, with three straight monthly surpluses and the deficit decreasing, is this: What does Trump do?—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Bespoke pricing takes away this possibility, enabling the seller to seize that consumer surplus for itself.—
George Slover,
Time,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Remove the hinge pin, coat it lightly with mayonnaise, reinsert it, and wipe off any excess.—
Gabi De la Rosa,
Southern Living,
31 July 2025
-
The products come from creators who have exhausted their networks, and from brands looking to align excess with purpose.—
Christine Michel Carter,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
Noun
-
Hundreds of people filled a committee room and two overflow rooms in a Texas House office building Monday for a hearing over a pair of bills that would restrict the sale of consumable hemp products in the state.—
Alex Driggars,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
-
Police have worked with both the brewery and mosque to find a solution, King Jugg has offered shuttles from remote parking and the mosque has tried to steer overflow visitors to a nearby parking lot — but none have eased the problem.—
John Tuohy,
IndyStar,
23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overkill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overkill. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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