How to Use overkill in a Sentence

overkill

noun

• Yes, we need a new car, but this huge truck seems like overkill.
• Skip the bug sprays, which are flammable and quite frankly, overkill.
  — Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 29 Oct. 2019
• But, too much of the stuff and the resulting overkill jumps the scale of the problem.
  — Anchorage Daily News, 23 May 2020
• One of the Russians laughed at me, saying, in effect: the overkill was the point.
  — Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2020
• Way overkill, just … the punishment did not fit the crime.
  — Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2022
• Just make sure to avoid overkill with this strong aroma.
  — Grooming Playbook, The Salt Lake Tribune, 6 June 2022
• But what if—at least for some battery chemistries—that’s overkill?
  — Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, 19 Nov. 2020
• This one seems like overkill on the surface but is anything but.
  — Mark Stock, Men's Health, 24 Aug. 2022
• That’s why Samsung Home Hub seems like overkill at first.
  — Chris Smith, BGR, 5 Jan. 2022
• The digital overkill at the end seems more like a laser light show than a finale.
  — Dan Lybarger, Arkansas Online, 5 Nov. 2021
• Even in inclement weather, gorp-ing in a city is overkill.
  — Jacob Gallagher, WSJ, 2 Jan. 2021
• But the $2,000-and-up desktop is still overkill for a lot of people, even for pros and power users.
  — Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 23 Jan. 2023
• For a two-person apartment, once a week feels like overkill.
  — Kalina Newman, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2023
• The Phillie Phanatic remains the Babe Ruth of mascots, so no one minds the overkill.
  — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2022
• Also, getting a MacBook and iPad at the same time might be overkill.
  — Chris Smith, BGR, 22 Oct. 2022
• The sole, however, is overkill on smooth, flat trails, and is noisy and clunky on pavement.
  — Cory Smith, Outside Online, 18 Oct. 2022
• The entire sandwich seems like overkill to me, which is probably the point.
  — al, 2 Mar. 2020
• In fact, even color ink might be overkill for some people.
  — Dave Johnson, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2021
• That might sound like overkill, but the palate tells a different story.
  — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 31 Dec. 2023
• The gimmicky live show hype, all that pomp and circumstance, seemed like overkill.
  — Helena Andrews-Dyer, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2023
• Throwing in Mephisto seems like overkill at this point.
  — Adam B. Vary, chicagotribune.com, 19 Feb. 2021
• Given that the new vaccine results are good, that might look like overkill now.
  — Kai Kupferschmidt, Science | AAAS, 22 Mar. 2021
• Some experts wonder if that many big rate hikes would be overkill.
  — Paul R. La Monica, CNN, 1 Apr. 2022
• So there’s definitely relief from the overkill in the show.
  — Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Sep. 2023
• For what constitutes this moment is a kind of overkill.
  — Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 12 June 2020
• The lyrics are relatable, but the addition of a church organ and gospel choir feels like overkill.
  — NBC News, 18 Sep. 2019
• But of course, at such a high price point, this may be overkill for those who simply need a writing device.
  — Zoë Hannah, Popular Mechanics, 20 Jan. 2023
• Like wearing a hazmat suit to the office, your last sentence is overkill.
  — Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2020
• My lone quibble: The three slices of cheddar were overkill and didn’t completely melt.
  — Michael Mayo, sun-sentinel.com, 24 Oct. 2019
• This, for those thinking the mask fines were overkill, is why the NFL is so adamant that sideline personnel wear masks.
  — Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 29 Sep. 2020

Last Updated: 5 Sep 2024