Word family noun run rerun runner running overrun adjective running runny verb run outrun overrun rerun adverb running
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishoverruno‧ver‧run1 /ˌəʊvəˈrʌn $ ˌoʊ-/ verb (past tense overran /-ˈræn/, past participle overrun, present participle overrunning) 1 [intransitive, transitive]LONG TIME to take more time or money than intended The final speaker overran by at least half an hour.2 [transitive]SPREAD if a place is overrun by unwanted things or people, they spread over it in great numbersbe overrun by/with something a tiny island overrun by tourists The house was overrun with mice.Grammar Overrun is usually passive in this meaning.3 [transitive] if a place is overrun by soldiers, they take control of it Poland was overrun by the Russian army.Grammar Overrun is usually passive in this meaning.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
overrun• Always finish on time, unless there is a very good reason to overrun.• Had they been 10 or 15 minutes later, I believe we would have been completely overrun.• A combination of army support and neutrality enabled the demonstrators to overrun both buildings with minimal losses.• But they were cut from the programme after it overran by 10 minutes.• Projects have become symbols of the ghetto, isolated from society and jobs, overrun by gangs and drugs.• Mr Mellor claimed the builder overran his budget.• Heavy rains caused Stoney Creek to overrun its banks earlier today.• Guerrillas had overrun the exploration camp and set the rig afire.• Soviet troops overran the nation in 1940.• Weedy morning-glory vines overran the rainforest canopy.• Vines of morning glory overran the rainforest canopy.be overrun by/with something• Mid-morning, we were overrun by a storm.• The Tory leader claimed the country will be overrun by asylum-seekers and criminals and ruled from Brussels.• The school I was sent to was overrun with colonial children-many described as mentally deficient and put in special schools.• Some of the housing projects were overrun by gangs and drugs.• The country is overrun with inventions and inventors.• That night, the pantry and supply closet were overrun with rats.• The county was overrun with underwood that made it impervious to the traveller.overruno‧ver‧run2 /ˈəʊvərʌn $ ˈoʊ-/ noun [countable] an amount of time or money that is larger than was planned or intended cost overruns of £2 billionExamples from the Corpus
overrun• Naturally shortfalls and overruns occur when one year is compared with the next.• A real bargain, with lovely owners, two beautiful overrun gardens and some quite well-preserved original features.• There are two main problems with fast-track projects: design changes and cost overruns.• They track and control construction costs to avoid cost overruns.• A public service agency spends so much time studying the financial implications of a project that cost overruns are virtually guaranteed.• Cost overruns for overtime for both the police and fire departments has been a chronic problem for years.• Or mechanical extractor ventilation capable of providing at least three air changes per hour and operating with 15-minute overrun after activation.From Longman Business Dictionaryoverruno‧ver‧run1 /ˈəʊvərʌnˈoʊ-/ noun [countable]1 (also cost overrun)ACCOUNTING an occasion when something costs more to develop and produce than was originally planned, or the amount of money involved in thisThe Pentagon is expecting overruns of as much as $2.6 billion on its cargo plane program.Almost from the start, the cost overruns were as staggering as the project itself.2American EnglishMANUFACTURING an extra quantity of things that is produced, which may not be neededproduction overrunsoverruno‧ver‧run2 /ˌəʊvəˈrʌnˌoʊ-/ verb (past tense overran /-ˈræn/, past participle overrun) [intransitive, transitive]ACCOUNTINGMANUFACTURING to cost more or continue longer than expected or intendedThe health service ended up subsidising the venture because the costs overran.Businesses refused to commit themselves in case the project’s costs overran its budget.→ See Verb table 