overcrowding
overcrowding — noun
1. the problem caused when a place holds far more people or things than it was buil
the problem caused when a place holds far more people or things than it was built or planned to hold
Overcrowding in the city prisons has forced officials to release low-risk inmates early.
overcrowding in [institution]
St. Mary's Hospital reported serious overcrowding in its emergency ward last winter.
adjective + overcrowding (serious / severe)
Mizuki blamed poor planning for the constant overcrowding on rush-hour trains.
The new school in Beatriz's district was built to relieve overcrowding in classrooms.
Charity workers warned that overcrowding in the shelter was making illness spread faster.
- congestion
Often used for traffic or networks rather than buildings; suggests blocked flow more than tight space.
- crowding
Neutral and weaker; does not always mean the level is a problem.
- overpopulation
Used for whole cities, regions, or countries, not single rooms or vehicles.
文法句型
overcrowding in [place]
[place] suffers from overcrowding
用法筆記
Uncountable: never 'an overcrowding' or 'overcrowdings'. Frequently appears with 'in' + the place affected (schools, prisons, hospitals, cities) and verbs like 'cause', 'reduce', 'relieve', 'ease'.
常見錯誤
overcrowding — verb
1. to put so many people or things into a place that it can no longer be used safel
to put so many people or things into a place that it can no longer be used safely or in the normal way
Bus companies in Lagos sometimes overcrowd their vehicles to earn more during rush hour.
subject + overcrowd + vehicle
Élise warned the staff not to overcrowd the small meeting room with extra chairs.
overcrowd + place + with + objects
Officials warned that 200 new inmates would overcrowd the city jail beyond its safe limit.
Walid asked the guide not to overcrowd the boat with more than eight passengers.
Adding three more desks would overcrowd Mayumi's office and block the fire exit.
文法句型
overcrowd + [place / vehicle]
be overcrowded with + [people / things]
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person, organization, or planning decision that puts too many people or things into a space. Very often appears in the passive ('the train was overcrowded with commuters'); the passive form blends with the more frequent adjective 'overcrowded'.
常見錯誤
2. of people, animals, or plants — to gather together in a space in numbers so high
of people, animals, or plants — to gather together in a space in numbers so high that there is no longer enough room for each one
When seedlings overcrowd in a single tray, none of them grows to a healthy size.
subject = plants/animals; intransitive use
Reuben noticed that his goldfish began to overcrowd at one end of the tank.
animal subject + overcrowd + at + location
The penguins tend to overcrowd around the keeper at feeding time every afternoon.
Nikhil's tomato plants began to overcrowd in the raised bed, so he moved half of them.
If the chickens overcrowd in one corner of the coop, the weaker birds get hurt.
- crowd together
More common in daily speech; neutral about whether the number is a problem.
- swarm
Suggests fast, restless movement of a large group, often insects or excited people.
- spread out
Opposite movement: people or animals separating across a wider area.
文法句型
[people / animals] overcrowd
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this intransitive use has the people or animals themselves as subject, not a place. Mostly found in writing about animals, plants, or planning, not casual speech. In daily English, 'crowd together' is more common.