overrun
verb · noun
Simple meaning
Flow or run over.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ohverruhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈoʊvɚɹən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Flow or run over (a limit or brim)
transitive
To infest, swarm over, flow over.
transitive
To defeat an enemy and invade in great numbers, seizing the enemy positions conclusively.
transitive
To run past; to run beyond.
transitive
To run past the end of.
transitive
To go beyond; to extend in part beyond.
noun
An instance of overrunning.
The amount by which something overruns.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To defeat an enemy and invade in great numbers, seizing the enemy positions conclusively.
Used this way, overrun is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It carries more force than its gentler alternatives. It turns up most in personal or emotional discussion and literature or storytelling contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Strong
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Everyday but emotionally strong
Where it naturally appears
- Personal/emotional discussion
- Literature/storytelling
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.