Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
noun
A destructive capacity that exceeds that needed to destroy an enemy; especially with nuclear weapons.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: literally, uncountable
Topics: government, military, politics, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Destruction beyond what is necessary to kill, especially in murder.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: literally, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
An unnecessary excess of whatever is needed to achieve a goal.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, uncountable
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
An unnecessary excess of disposal because of too high criteria of inspection.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Topics: business, manufacturing
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: underkill
verb
To destroy something with more (nuclear) force than is required.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To dispose of too many items because of too-high criteria of inspection.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: business, manufacturing
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: underkill
verb
To do something excessive to achieve a goal.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
any effort that seems to go farther than would be necessary to achieve its goal
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: effort, elbow grease, exertion, travail, sweat
noun
the capability to obliterate a target with more weapons (especially nuclear weapons) than are required
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: capability, capableness
History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Germanic *uber Old English ofer- Middle English over- English over- Dutch kilbor. English kill English overkill From over- + kill.
Across languages
30 source translations are retained for this English entry.
