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overkill - 3 dictionary results

o⋅ver⋅kill

  [oh-ver-kil]
Use overkill in a Sentence
–noun
1. the capacity of a nation to destroy, by nuclear weapons, more of an enemy than would be necessary for a military victory.
2. an instance of such destruction.
3. an excess of what is required or suitable, as because of zeal or misjudgment.
Origin:
1945–50, Americanism; over- + kill 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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o·ver·kill   (ō'vər-kĭl')   
n.  
  1. Destructive nuclear capacity exceeding the amount needed to destroy an enemy.
  2. Excessive killing.
  3. An excess of what is necessary or appropriate for a particular end: "government overkill in dealing with dissent" (Jesse Unruh).
tr.v.   (ō'vər-kĭl') o·ver·killed, o·ver·kill·ing, o·ver·kills
To destroy (an enemy or enemy target) with more nuclear force than necessary.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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overkill  (n.)
1958, from over + kill (v.). Originally in reference to nuclear arsenals; the general sense is from 1965. The verb is attested from 1946.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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