overexpansion

noun

over·​ex·​pan·​sion ˌō-vər-ik-ˈspan(t)-shən How to pronounce overexpansion (audio)
plural overexpansions
: excessive expansion : the act or an instance of expanding too much or too quickly
… by 1946 the firm had collapsed and was closed, a victim of overexpansion …—Arline Fisch
… ran into fiscal trouble … because of an overexpansion in the 1990s, coupled with overspending when it was a public company.—Carrie Mason-Draffen
… railed against what they saw as government overexpansion …—J. P. Gairhan

Examples of overexpansion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
And both suffer from the overexpansion of secondary characters, a kind of narrative clutter. — Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2023 That isn’t even counting the endless chain restaurants and franchises that failed or folded, many due to overexpansion in new suburbs or the passing of food fads. — Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Dec. 2025 After years of overexpansion, Rite Aid and other big pharmacy chains have struggled. — Andrew Torgan, CNN, 22 Dec. 2021 Amazon’s growth, however, slowed to its lowest rate in two decades, and Jassy has been reeling in the company’s overexpansion. — Karen Weise, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Jan. 2023 See All Example Sentences for overexpansion

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overexpansion was in 1862

Rhymes for overexpansion

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Browse Nearby Words

overexpand
overexpansion
overexpectation
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Overexpansion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overexpansion. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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