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
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
That big ol’ stockpot may suddenly seem like total overkill.
—Jessica Saari Christensen, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2025
Hal wants to live a quiet life, but he’s drawn back into chaos when the monkey reappears, offing poor Aunt Ida (Sarah Levy) in a series of accidents that really feel like overkill.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overkill
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
That big ol’ stockpot may suddenly seem like total overkill.
—Jessica Saari Christensen, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2025
Hal wants to live a quiet life, but he’s drawn back into chaos when the monkey reappears, offing poor Aunt Ida (Sarah Levy) in a series of accidents that really feel like overkill.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overkill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overkill
Noun
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That, and the surplus of mentors who played for Dad before him.—
Sam Cohn,
Baltimore Sun,
24 Mar. 2025
-
During the Legislature’s budget session in 2023, Minnesota was working with an $18 billion surplus and approved a budget of $72 billion, a jump from the previous $52 billion budget.—
Mary Murphy,
Twin Cities,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Though the film itself received mixed reviews, Kilmer’s committed performance as the self-destructive rocker who epitomized the psychedelic excesses of the 1960s was widely praised.—
Lindsey Bahr,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2025
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Drizzle a bit of oil into the skillet and wipe out the excess so only a thin sheen remains.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Healey administration said the decision to bar people from sleeping on the floor of the airport came as an overflow shelter opened at a former prison in Norfolk last summer.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
14 Mar. 2025
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During rainstorms, runoff sometimes overwhelms the plant’s sewage treatment system, dumping a mixture of sewage and storm runoff directly into the Pacific Ocean – an event known as a combined sewer overflow.—
Robin Kundis Craig,
The Conversation,
5 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overkill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overkill. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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