overpopulation

British  

/ ˌəʊvəˌpɒpjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the population of an area in too large numbers

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overpopulation Scientific  

/ ō′vər-pŏp′yə-lā′shən /

1. The population of an environment by a particular species in excess of the environment's carrying capacity. The effects of overpopulation can include the depletion of resources, environmental deterioration, and the prevalence of famine and disease.

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Example Sentences

“The pet overpopulation in most countries, but especially in this country, is the issue,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Last month, it opened a 40,000-person prison to relieve overpopulation as the crackdown is expected to continue.

From Reuters

In the 1970s, popular culture was full of predictions that overpopulation would cause the world to run out of food.

From New York Times

In his Feb. 19 column, Dana Milbank wrote about the deer overpopulation problem caused by horrific mismanagement of deer hunting by state game agencies.

From Washington Post

The Bureau of Land Management says the expanded effort concentrates on places where “chronic overpopulation” of the herds already has stretched the available food and water to its limits.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• bottleneck
• traffic jam