noun

• 1Excessive use, treatment, or action; too much of something.

  ‘animators now face a dilemma of technology overkill’

  More example sentences

  • ‘While it may seem like overkill, the military was finally satisfied.’
  • ‘Yet now that the government seems to be throwing its weight behind the issue, some critics call it overkill.’
  • ‘I understand the need to meet labelling requirements, but I suggest that maybe this is a little bit of overkill.’
  • ‘It sounds a bit like overkill, but one on each arm, matched with front and rear lights covers all the angles.’
  • ‘The screen is a bit of overkill because the audience is not that far from the center of action on the hot shop floor.’
  • ‘For the home user it might be a little too expensive, and even a bit of overkill.’
  • ‘In some cases, this approach is necessary, but many times it's overkill.’
  • ‘Isn't adding a second bomb a bit of cinematic overkill?’
  • ‘Lastly, this keeping of the suspense for a whole week is a bit of overkill.’
  • ‘Sitting through the whole thing might feel like overkill.’
  • ‘But that response turned out to be overkill when the usual large dose of morphine did not follow the initial small injection.’
  • ‘For a band that had one single in them, getting the full reissue treatment seems a bit like overkill.’
  • ‘If your company's goal is to use learning as a core retention strategy, that seems like overkill.’
  • ‘They must have determined that to be overkill, because they stopped attaching the probes to their body armor at some point during the mission.’
  • ‘If wiring the wine cellar for an Internet connection seems like overkill, consider the possibilities for the pampered homeowner.’
  • ‘A surround mix would have been nice, but probably overkill.’
  • ‘However, I agree that this is probably overkill in this case.’
  • ‘It may be overkill, but don't tell that to the book world.’
  • ‘More than eight ounces is getting too close to overkill.’

  Synonyms

  excess, overabundance, superabundance, profusion, glut, surfeit, surplus, superfluity, more than enough, too many, too much
• 2The amount by which destruction or the capacity for destruction exceeds what is necessary.

  ‘the existing nuclear overkill’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Despite his sense of legality, he could resort to dramatic displays of armed might and air power to quell internal opposition with literal overkill.’
  • ‘The main consideration was to avoid weapon overkill.’