Overrun
/ˌoʊvərˈrʌn/
Definitions
2 meaningsTo spread over or occupy a place in great numbers, often causing damage or disruption; to exceed a limit.
/ˌoʊvərˈrʌn/
To spread over or through rapidly and extensively.
The weeds are beginning to overrun the flowerbeds.
💡 Simply: Imagine a swarm of bees taking over your picnic. Overrun means something, or someone, has spread too far and is now causing a problem. Like when your homework assignment gets overrun with scribbles because you're not paying attention!
👶 For kids: When something spreads all over a place, like when ants cover a cookie!
More Examples
During the peak of the storm, the river threatened to overrun its banks.
The company was overrun with customer complaints after the data breach.
How It's Used
"The enemy forces overrun the town."
"The software system was overrun with bugs."
"The weeds have overrun the garden."
To exceed a given limit or boundary, such as time, budget, or quantity.
/ˌoʊvərˈrʌn/
To exceed or go beyond a limit or boundary.
The project's costs threatened to overrun the original estimate.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're supposed to stop at a stop sign, but you go a little bit too far. Overrun means you've gone past the point you were supposed to stop at, like when your bedtime gets overrun because you're having too much fun!
👶 For kids: When you keep going past where you were supposed to stop.
More Examples
The meeting overrun its scheduled time slot.
The software development project suffered because of the missed deadlines and the scope of the project kept overrunning the time that was allocated.
How It's Used
"The project's budget was overrun by 20%."
"The meeting overrun its scheduled time."
"The team was overrun in the final quarter."
Idioms & expressions
overrun with
To be filled or crowded with something, often to an excessive degree.
"The town was overrun with tourists during the festival."
From 'over' + 'run'. The prefix 'over-' indicates excess or surpassing, and 'run' refers to a quick movement or flow. Its earliest usages, dating back to the 16th century, related to the military and meant to spread quickly across an area.
Historically, "overrun" has been predominantly used in military and spatial contexts. The earliest recorded uses, dating back to the 16th century, involved the rapid spread and occupation of territory by an opposing force. Later the term got used to convey that something exceeded a given limit.
Memory tip
Imagine ants OVERRUNNING a picnic basket: too many, spoiling everything.
Word Origin
"over (beyond or across) + run (to move quickly)"