overgraze

Definition of overgrazenext

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of overgraze But unlike large mammals, the ants don’t overgraze all the vegetation in the area around their colony. Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 May 2022 Managers extended the fall season and provided winter openings to try to hit harvest targets, something Fish and Game says is important to keep the herd sustainable, and not so large that animals overgraze or starve. Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2021 As a result, proliferating shrimp could overgraze the algae that supports a healthy population, according to Luft. Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Dec. 2020 Cattle and sheep overgraze on the zacaton, and farmers burn the grass to promote new growth in pastures and cut it for thatch. National Geographic, 23 Jan. 2020 In this case, individual Arizonans are being asked to guard the public good, while policy makers, developers and multinational corporations overgraze our water to the detriment of the greater good. John D'anna, azcentral, 15 Dec. 2019 Without sharks, fish would overgraze and destroy our oceans. Stephanie Bedo, Fox News, 16 July 2018 The factor may be that herbivores overgraze their range and run short of food. E O Wilson, Discover Magazine, 11 June 2012
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overgraze
Verb
  • Sadly, the last Blockbuster (aside from one defiant Bend, Oregon, outlier) went out to pasture in 2014, and independent video stores are an increasingly rare sight.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
  • In Wisconsin, dairy farms are smaller, herds are smaller, and cows are usually sent out to pasture to graze in good weather, which is not easy to come by in Wisconsin.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The border closure particularly affects cattle feedlots and ranchers who graze cattle in the southern plains.
    ABC News, ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026
  • The bullet also grazed the victim's 2-year-old brother, according to DA Gonzalez.
    Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Jonathan Buford and Patrick Ware are best known for quirky, fantastical brews made with hyperlocal ingredients (often foraged) and Sinagua Malt, a low-water malt grown in Arizona’s Verde Valley.
    Chris Malloy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026
  • Becoming a seaweed farmer isn’t as simple as foraging for algae and watching it multiply.
    Megan Zhang, Saveur, 8 Apr. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Overgraze.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overgraze. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster