overrun
/ˌoʊ.vɚˈɹʌn/verb, noun
overrun is spelled O-V-E-R-R-U-N: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 18,064th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, overrun means “To defeat an enemy and invade in great numbers, seizing the enemy positions conclusively” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in overrun?
| Letters | 7: O-V-E-R-R-U-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 18,064th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is overrun?
Overrun appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 18,064th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce overrun?
- UK /ˌəʊ.vəˈɹʌn/
- US /ˌoʊ.vɚˈɹʌn/
As a noun (“An instance of overrunning”): /ˈəʊ.vəˌɹʌn/, /ˈoʊ.vɚˌɹʌn/.
Overrun has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-overrun.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-overrun2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with overrun
Also written: over-run (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with overrun?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as overrun from its last stressed vowel (/ʌn/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of overrun
- overruns present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- overrunning participle, present
- overran past
- over-run
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does overrun mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To defeat an enemy and invade in great numbers, seizing the enemy positions conclusively.
- 2
To infest, swarm over, flow over.
The cathedral square was overrun with tourists.
- 3
To run past; to run beyond.
The athlete overran the finish line and kept going.
- 4
To run past the end of.
The aircraft didn't stop in time and overran the runway.
- 5
To continue for too long.
The performance overran by ten minutes, which caused some people to miss their bus home.
- 6
To carry (some type, a line or column, etc.) backward or forward into an adjacent line or page.
- 7
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.
- 8
To abuse or oppress, as if by treading upon.
noun
- 1
An instance of overrunning.
- 2
A turnover: a break to a new line by text flowing within the column.
- 3
The amount by which something overruns.
At least this year's overrun isn't as unmanageable as last year!
- 4
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.
- 5
Air that is whipped into a frozen dessert to make it easier to serve and eat.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Overrun in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | überrennen , befallen, überschwemmen, überhäufen , überschreiten , überziehen |
| Spanish | sobrepasar , excedimiento |
| Portuguese | infestar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does overrun come from?
From over- + run.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).