overcrowded
adjective
over·crowd·ed
ˌō-vər-ˈkrau̇-dəd 
: crowded or filled to excess : having too many people or things
overcrowded streets/cities/classrooms
living in overcrowded conditions
… having an overcrowded space can make it hard for buyers to … visualize their own belongings in the space, said Los Angeles-based designer Francesca Grace.—
Jennifer Tzeses
Jennifer Tzeses… some 5 million workers commute for up to three hours on trains so overcrowded that there seem to be as many passengers hanging on to the outside of the carriages as there are inside.—Ismail Merchant
Ismail MerchantExamples of overcrowded in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dylan Law said the immigrants moving to North Texas on H-1B visas have caused schools to be overcrowded and are changing the character of the region.
—Dallas Morning News, 4 Feb. 2026
Often, volunteers and animal rescuers post social media pleas like the ones Wright responded to, in a race against time to save dogs from potentially being euthanized to make space in the overcrowded shelters.
—Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Most of the late ’90s cross-genre shows came off as overcrowded or inorganic.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
According to that report, an anonymous Department of Homeland Security official reported witnessing pregnant women sleeping on floors in overcrowded intake cells.
—Lautaro Grinspan, AJC.com, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overcrowded
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dallas Morning News, 4 Feb. 2026
Often, volunteers and animal rescuers post social media pleas like the ones Wright responded to, in a race against time to save dogs from potentially being euthanized to make space in the overcrowded shelters.
—Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Most of the late ’90s cross-genre shows came off as overcrowded or inorganic.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
According to that report, an anonymous Department of Homeland Security official reported witnessing pregnant women sleeping on floors in overcrowded intake cells.
—Lautaro Grinspan, AJC.com, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overcrowded
Cite this Entry
“Overcrowded.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overcrowded. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
