overrun
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overrun
- /ˌəʊ.vəˈɹʌn/ UK
- /ˌoʊ.vɚˈɹʌn/ US
- /ˈəʊ.vəˌɹʌn/ UK
- /ˈoʊ.vɚˌɹʌn/ US
verb overruns · overrunning · overran · overrun · over-run
- To defeat an enemy and invade in great numbers, seizing the enemy positions conclusively. But news that the North Vietnamese had launched an invasion more akin to the blitzkrieg of Poland than to a Maoist "people's war," and had overrun my old base camp 30 miles up Thunder Road from Saigon, turned my heart to lead.
- To infest, swarm over, flow over. The cathedral square was overrun with tourists.
- To run past; to run beyond. The athlete overran the finish line and kept going.
- To run past the end of. The aircraft didn't stop in time and overran the runway.
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To continue for too long.
The performance overran by ten minutes, which caused some people to miss their bus home.
Similar: run over
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To carry (some type, a line or column, etc.) backward or forward into an adjacent line or page.
Similar: run over
- To go beyond; to extend in part beyond. In machinery, a sliding piece is said to overrun its bearing when its forward end goes beyond it.
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To abuse or oppress, as if by treading upon.
None of them the feeble overren.
Similar: run over
noun overruns · over-run
- An instance of overrunning. Some of the stadiums being built for the World Cup soccer tournament, scheduled for next year, have also been criticized for delays and cost overruns, and have become subjects of derision as protesters question whether they will become white elephants.
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A turnover: a break to a new line by text flowing within the column.
Similar: runover
- The amount by which something overruns. At least this year's overrun isn't as unmanageable as last year!
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An area of terrain beyond the end of a runway that is kept flat and unobstructed to allow an aircraft that runs off the end of the runway to stop safely.
The runway has 7,000 feet of paved surface, plus a 2,000-foot grass overrun.
Similar: runway safety area, stopway
- Air that is whipped into a frozen dessert to make it easier to serve and eat. If ice cream has too much overrun, it will be airy and foamy and will lack flavor.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: run over, brim over, overproduction, overflow, plagued, troubled, infest, infested, well over, overtaking, overcome, overcoming, swamped, invade, incursion, intruded
Translations
Every language
verb to run past, exceed
| Deutsch | überschreiten |
|---|
verb to defeat an enemy and invade in great numbers
| Español | sobrepasar |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | überrennen |
verb to infest, swarm over
| Português | infestar |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | befallen, überschwemmen, überhäufen |
verb to continue for too long — see also run over
| Deutsch | überziehen, überschreiten |
|---|
noun instance of overrunning
| Español | excedimiento |
|---|
Talk about this word "overrun." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/overrun. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. overrun. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/overrun "overrun." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/overrun.Cite this
@misc{overrun_2026,
title = {overrun},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/overrun},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
