overspill

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   something that spills, flows, or extends beyond a container, boundary, or available capacity

   Temporary rooms were opened to accommodate the overspill from the crowded hall.

2. 2
   noun

   British: people or development relocated from an overcrowded urban area

   The new town was planned to receive overspill from the nearby city.

3. 3
   verb

   to spill or extend beyond a limit, boundary, or capacity

   Vigorous vines overspill the wall and trail toward the pavement.

A compound of over- + spill. The literal idea of material spilling beyond its limit broadened to crowds, development, emotion, and other kinds of excess; British planning language gave the noun a specialized urban-relocation sense.

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