How to Use overfill in a Sentence

overfill

verb
  • He overfilled the pail and the water spilled out.
  • The filler neck for bar oil is narrow and easy to overfill.
    Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 31 July 2019
  • The city’s best practices are not to overfill the barns and that the salt is pushed back into the barns and away from the doors.
    Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 22 Feb. 2022
  • Don’t overfill your gas tank, which can cause spills and waste.
    Dallas News, 9 Mar. 2022
  • The meat will overfill the zucchini by about half an inch.
    Paul Stephen, ExpressNews.com, 10 June 2020
  • That day, another noisy flow of magma left the sill and overfilled the dike.
    Robin George Andrews, Quanta Magazine, 20 Feb. 2024
  • Some liquid is required to build the pressure, but do not overfill the pot.
    Roxanne Wyss and Kathy Moore, kansascity.com, 23 May 2017
  • Could overfilling the oil have caused these gaskets to leak?
    Ray Magliozzi, courant.com, 6 Oct. 2019
  • The tricks are to not overfill the leaves, to roll them tightly and to approach each one with utter confidence.
    Yasmin Khan, WSJ, 12 May 2021
  • The state’s older women’s prison has less than half as many beds as the new prison, is overfilled, and only has a third as much space.
    Jon Kamp, WSJ, 27 July 2017
  • To blister the tomatoes: heat a pan on high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil, the tomatoes (do not overfill the pan) and a pinch of salt and pepper.
    Nancy Miller, The Courier-Journal, 20 Mar. 2018
  • On the much larger ground floor, the curation is overfilled with Metro’s roster.
    Roberta Smith, New York Times, 13 July 2017
  • Avoid overfilling your equipment and gas can as the fuel tank needs room for the gas to expand in hot weather.
    Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2023
  • But don't be tempted to overfill, as your pie may crack and filling may come spilling out during the baking process.
    Meredith Deeds Special To The Star Tribune, Star Tribune, 10 Mar. 2021
  • Just be careful not to overfill it, as the lid’s lock is somewhat flimsy and will pop off if the water level is too high.
    Sophie Dodd, Peoplemag, 29 July 2023
  • AeroPress with the stainless filter and stock cap will fill then overfill the vessel beneath it, not the brewing chamber.
    Joe Ray, WIRED, 29 Nov. 2023
  • When using a regular blender, work in batches and don’t overfill.
    Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 19 Jan. 2024
  • Fill each indentation with about a half teaspoon jam; be careful not to overfill as the jam will spread while baking.
    Kim Sunée, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Dec. 2022
  • Jump Jet Now restores 50% of Hover Jets fuel and can briefly overfill the maximum fuel amount.
    Kris Holt, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
  • As more people get cosmetic injectable fillers to halt the signs of aging, there are inevitably some who end up looking overfilled.
    Jennifer Goldstein, Marie Claire, 20 Sep. 2017
  • Pierre cautions that outdoor planters will also be exposed to the elements, so rainy days could lead to overfilling.
    Janae McKenzie, House Beautiful, 5 Sep. 2023
  • Car sales plummeted in the spring, causing shipment lots to overfill and forcing cargo ships to hold new vehicles at sea for weeks.
    Fortune, 20 Sep. 2020
  • Pour slowly into each cup, being careful to not overfill.
    Naomi Ross, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2023
  • Just be sure not to overfill it, as that can cause a messy experience, according to reviewers.
    Nicole Briese, USA TODAY, 18 June 2020
  • A couple of words of warning regarding user-friendliness: The filler neck for bar oil is narrow and easy to overfill, and the cap isn’t tethered to keep it from getting lost or rolling around in the dirt.
    Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 30 Nov. 2022
  • The system works quite well as long as the user doesn’t overfill the pack, either by packing a bino that’s too large or by stuffing too many items in the interior pockets.
    John B. Snow, Outdoor Life, 4 Nov. 2020
  • What Gay has learned in three seasons since — and especially during this one overfilled with defeat — is that nothing is guaranteed in the NBA.
    Jeff McDonald, ExpressNews.com, 9 Feb. 2020
  • Lawmakers knew at the time that the bill would overfill the state’s prisons, but Tarr and others said there was an expectation that the state would first reopen the Palmer Correctional Center.
    James Brooks, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Oct. 2019
  • But overfilling the crankcase by 1 quart is not likely to cause any problem whatsoever.
    Ray Magliozzi, courant.com, 6 Oct. 2019
  • Add the asparagus to the boiling water (do separate batches, don’t overfill the pot) and boil for about one minute, then remove and immediately put in the ice water.
    Nancy Miller, The Courier-Journal, 20 Mar. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overfill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: