Meaning & use
overpopulation
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Meaning
noununcountable
The situation where there are more people or animals in a place than it can support.
Grammar: Uncountable; takes a singular verb and no article: 'Overpopulation causes...'
Patterns
- overpopulation of something
- overpopulation in a place
- cause overpopulation
The city struggles with overpopulation and a lack of housing.
Overpopulation in the region has led to food shortages.
Some scientists argue that overpopulation is the biggest threat to the planet.
Common combinations
- human overpopulation
- Human overpopulation is putting pressure on natural resources.
- overpopulation crisis
- The country is facing an overpopulation crisis in its cities.
- tackle overpopulation
- Governments are trying to tackle overpopulation through family planning.
- overpopulation of pets
- Animal shelters often talk about the overpopulation of pets.
Synonyms and how they differ
- crowding
- Crowding describes the physical condition of too many people in a small space, while overpopulation is about numbers relative to available resources.
- congestion
- Congestion is used especially for traffic or blocked movement, not for population size in general.
Opposites
Word family
- overpopulated adjective
- Having more people or animals than the area can support.
- populate verb
- To live in and fill a place.
- population noun
- The people or animals living in a particular area.
Commonly confused: overpopulation or population?
overpopulation vs population
Population is simply the number of people; overpopulation means that number is too high for the place to handle.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'overpopulation' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Overpopulation is uncountable, so it takes a singular verb and no plural form. Option B is correct; A, C, and D treat it as countable or as a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “overpopulation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.