Dictionary

overbuild en · VERB

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Germanic *uber Old English ofer- Middle English over- English over- Proto-West Germanic *buþlijan Old English bytlan Middle English bylden English build English overbuild From over- + build.

Meanings

1. (ambitransitive) To perform excessive construction on a building or in an area.
   • c. 1962, Philip Larkin on John Betjeman How much more interesting & worth writing about Betjeman's subjects are than most other modern poets, I mean, whether so-and-so achieves some metaphysical inner unity is not really so interesting to us as the overbuilding' of rural Middlesex.
2. (transitive) To build over or on top of another structure.
   • The architect wanted to overbuild the restaurant on top of an office.
3. (transitive) To build with excessive size or elaboration.
4. (intransitive) To construct more buildings than necessary in an area.

Forms

Antonyms

underbuild

Deriveds

overbuilder

Translations (4)

bg надстроявам (To build on top of another structure.) · bg презастроявам (to perform excessive construction) · fi liikarakentaa (to perform excessive construction) · fi rakentaa päälle (To build on top of another structure.)