What does overrun mean?
Word: Overrun
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Overrun means to spread over a place in large numbers, or to go on longer than planned.
Synonyms: swarm, flood, overflow
Antonyms: withdraw
How do you spell overrun?
Syllables: o - ver - run
Tricky part: Two r's meet in the middle, where the two parts join. Overun is the common slip.
Watch out for: overun, ovverrun, overrunn
Memory tip: Two r's stand back to back in the middle, like two relay runners passing the baton.
Overrun in a sentence
Example 1: By August the empty plot was overrun with weeds and wild grass.
Example 2: Long speeches can make the school concert overrun by an hour.
Example 3: Every winter, monkeys overrun the park near our house looking for bananas.
Fun Fact
Planners use the phrase cost overrun when a project, such as a new bridge or metro line, ends up costing more than its budget.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the correctly spelt compound word:
a) overrun
b) homesik
c) outbrake
d) waterfal
Show answer
a) overrun. Outbreak ends in eak, waterfall has two l's and homesick ends in ck.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word: overrun
a) retreat
b) protect
c) rescue
d) invade
Show answer
d) invade. When ants overrun a kitchen, they invade it.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
oneuvrr
a) overuse
b) overture
c) overrun
d) overrule
Show answer
c) overrun. Overrule needs an l, overture a t and overuse an s; the seven letters give overrun.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) overflow
b) overrun
c) overwelm
d) overcast
Show answer
c) overwelm. Overwhelm has an h after the w.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In which of these sentences does overrun mean 'to go on longer than planned'?
a) Tourists overrun the small beach every May.
b) Floodwater may overrun the low fields by the river.
c) Ants can overrun a picnic basket in minutes.
d) Rain breaks often make cricket matches overrun.
Show answer
d) Rain breaks often make cricket matches overrun.
2. What is the past tense of overrun?
a) overran
b) overcame
c) overrode
d) overtook
Show answer
a) overran
