overkill

English

Etymology

From over- +‎ kill.

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈəʊvəˌkɪl/
• (US) IPA: /ˈoʊvɚˌkɪl/

Noun

overkill (uncountable)

1. (literally) A destructive capacity that exceeds that needed to destroy an enemy; especially with nuclear weapons.
2. (idiomatic) An unnecessary excess of whatever is needed to achieve a goal.

   24 hours of TV coverage of the US election verged on overkill.

   Should I give you yet more homework, or would that be overkill?

Translations

an unnecessary excess of something (idiomatic)

• Finnish: liika (fi), liioittelu (fi)

• French: surpuissance (fr), excès (fr)
• Russian: перегиб (ru) (peregíb) m , перебор (ru) (perebór) m , из пушки по воробьям (ru) (iz puški po vorobʹjam)

Verb

overkill (third-person singular simple present overkills, present participle overkilling, simple past and past participle overkilled)

1. (transitive) To destroy something with more (nuclear) force than is required.