overrun with

USAGE SUMMARY

"overrun with" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It is used to indicate a situation that is overwhelmed by something, usually an excessive amount or number of something. For example: "The city park was overrun with tourists on the sunny summer day."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Are you overrun with books?

The New York Times - Magazine

It was overrun with aristolochia.

The New Yorker

The internet has been overrun with tributes.

The Economist

Misrata's hospital is overrun with casualties.

The Economist

Darfur remains overrun with violence and banditry.

The New Yorker

Problem is, we're not overrun with alternatives.

MIT Technology Review

The shop became overrun with teenage mods.

The Guardian - Music

Gradually conference has become overrun with lobbyists.

The Guardian - Opinion

It is a class overrun with overachievers.

The New York Times - Arts

"We're not overrun with children," he said.

The New York Times

A welcome alternative to familiar bistros overrun with Anglophone tourists.

The New York Times - Travel

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Reserve this phrase for contexts where there is a sense of invasion or lack of control, as it usually carries a slightly negative or chaotic nuance.

Common error

Avoid using "overrun with" when you mean "overwhelmed by" regarding emotions. While a hospital might be "overrun with" patients, a person is usually "overwhelmed by" grief or stress. "Overrun with" almost always requires a physical or structural subject.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "overrun with" typically functions as an adjectival phrase composed of the past participle of the verb 'overrun' and the preposition 'with'. According to Ludwig, it serves to modify a noun (often a location or a group) by describing its state of being crowded or occupied. It is often used in passive constructions like 'the city was overrun'.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Academia

15%

Science

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Social Media

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "overrun with" is a highly versatile and correct English phrase used to describe environments or systems that have been overwhelmed by an excessive presence. Ludwig AI confirms its status as a robust linguistic tool, especially within high-tier journalism and academic research. Whether describing a hospital "overrun with" casualties or a digital platform "overrun with" spam, the phrase effectively conveys both volume and consequence. While it shares some semantic space with "infested with", it remains the preferred choice for broader, non-biological contexts where the occupation might be neutral or even human in nature. Use it when you need to paint a vivid picture of high density and the resulting loss of order.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

infested with

Carries a stronger negative connotation, usually reserved for pests, vermin or disease

teeming with

Emphasizes active movement and a high density of life or activity

inundated with

More formal and frequently used for abstract things like requests, emails or data

swamped with

Suggests being overwhelmed by volume, often in a work or logistical context

crawling with

Highly informal and visceral, emphasizing a visible and sometimes skin-crawling presence

awash with

A more poetic or metaphorical way to describe being covered or filled with something

carpeted with

Focuses on the visual aspect of something covering the entire surface of an area

saturated with

Implies that something is full to the point where it cannot absorb any more

riddled with

Specifically used when the abundance consists of something undesirable like errors or holes

packed with

A neutral alternative that simply indicates high density without necessarily implying loss of control

FAQs

How to use "overrun with" in a sentence?

You can use "overrun with" to describe a place that is crowded or occupied by too many of something, such as: "The garden was "overrun with" weeds after the heavy rain".

What can I say instead of "overrun with"?

Depending on the intensity you want to convey, you could use alternatives like "teeming with" for high activity, "swamped with" for being overwhelmed or "inundated with" for more formal contexts.

Is "overrun with" considered formal?

It is a neutral phrase that is perfectly acceptable in both professional journalism and academic writing, as evidenced by its frequent use in The Economist and The New York Times.

What is the difference between "overrun with" and "infested with"?

While both imply an excessive amount, "infested with" specifically suggests something harmful, disgusting or parasitic (like rats or bugs), whereas "overrun with" can apply to more neutral subjects like tourists or children.