overcapacity

noun

over·​ca·​pac·​i·​ty ˌō-vər-kə-ˈpa-sə-tē How to pronounce overcapacity (audio)
-ˈpa-stē
: excessive capacity for production or services in relation to demand

Examples of overcapacity in a Sentence

The airlines are lowering their prices because of an overcapacity of seats.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
That includes significant Chinese investments in the United States; substantial purchases of U.S. crops, airplanes and other goods; and potentially some arrangement to address Chinese manufacturing overcapacity. Ana Swanson, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025 More ambitiously, members could exempt one another from tariffs or other actions specifically designed to counter Chinese overcapacity. Geoffrey Gertz, Foreign Affairs, 6 Feb. 2025 Last year, despite worries about overcapacity, Congress approved an expansion to Reagan airport, adding five more long-haul daily flights. Joann Muller, Axios, 31 Jan. 2025 Meanwhile, for China, such high tariffs would hurt its exports at a time when export growth is already stalling, and the country’s manufacturing sector has been suffering from overcapacity, according to Hong. Dylan Butts, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for overcapacity

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overcapacity was in 1877

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Overcapacity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overcapacity. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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