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
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
-
According to the Taylor Grazing Act, these private properties were intended to winter the same number of livestock that grazed the public range during the grass-growing months and were used to pre-qualify BLM leasees.—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
10 June 2026
-
My spacious room looked out over a meadow where sheep grazed in the diffuse afternoon light.—
David Amsden,
Travel + Leisure,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Several of the incidents took place in the mountains, with some people injured while out foraging for wild plants and vegetables.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
-
Aim for the hole and spray into the nest during the evening when the wasps are inactive and aren’t out foraging.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overgraze.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overgraze. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
