overkill
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: business
government
manufacturing
military
politics
war
Etymology: 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-
English kill
English overkill
From over- + kill.
Inflected forms:
form: overkills
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: overkilling
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: overkilled
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: overkilled
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: A destructive capacity that exceeds that needed to destroy an enemy; especially with nuclear weapons.
pos: noun
tags: literally
uncountable
examples: [The] increase in nuclear missiles available to the West was operationally unnecessary and would only add to the existing nuclear overkill; mixed manning was a formula for military disaster; […]
gloss: Destruction beyond what is necessary to kill, especially in murder.
pos: noun
tags: literally
uncountable
examples: Bodies that have been stabbed or shot multiple times—far beyond what was sufficient to kill the victim (overkill)— suggest that the victim and assailant knew each other, […]
For some killers with a great deal of love/hate for their victims, it [an edged weapon] is the perfect instrument for a maniacal overkill.
"Trans people generally don't get stabbed once; they get stabbed 20 times, shot, burned and thrown into a dumpster." […] Their killers, in displaying an especially virulent form of hatred, often went from murder to overkill, attempting to obliterate their victims, perhaps in an attempt to erase them completely, […]
gloss: An unnecessary excess of whatever is needed to achieve a goal.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
uncountable
examples: 24 hours of TV coverage of the US election verged on overkill.
Should I give you yet more homework, or would that be overkill?
This is a live concert album, a good choice because it allows for simpler instrumental backup and avoids the studio overkill that would be inappropriate for such a forthright album.
gloss: An unnecessary excess of disposal because of too high criteria of inspection.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
gloss: To destroy something with more (nuclear) force than is required.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: To dispose of too many items because of too-high criteria of inspection.
pos: verb
gloss: To do something excessive to achieve a goal.
pos: verb
Translations:
lang: Czech
word: kanón na vrabce
lang: Finnish
word: liika
lang: Finnish
word: liioittelu
lang: French
word: excès
lang: French
word: surpuissance
lang: German
word: Overkill
lang: German
word: Übermaß
lang: Greek
word: υπέρβαση
roman: ypérvasi
lang: Greek
word: υπερβολή
roman: ypervolí
lang: Ancient Greek
word: ὑπέρβασις
roman: hupérbasis
lang: Ancient Greek
word: ὑπερβολή
roman: huperbolḗ
lang: Hungarian
word: ágyúval lő verébre
lang: Indonesian
word: berlebihan
lang: Indonesian
word: berlebih-lebihan
lang: Italian
word: eccessivo
lang: Polish
word: przesada
lang: Portuguese
word: exagero
lang: Russian
word: переги́б
roman: peregíb
lang: Russian
word: перебо́р
roman: perebór
lang: Russian
word: перевыполнение
roman: perevypolnenije
lang: Russian
word: из пу́шки по воробья́м
roman: iz púški po vorobʹjám
lang: Spanish
word: excesivo
lang: Spanish
word: matar moscas a cañonazos
lang: Spanish
word: exageración
lang: Spanish
word: desmesuramiento
lang: Spanish
word: desmesura
lang: Spanish
word: exceso
lang: Spanish
word: superávit
lang: Spanish
word: demasía
lang: Spanish
word: pasarse tres pueblos