overbuild

English

Etymology

From over- +‎ build.

Verb

overbuild (third-person singular simple present overbuilds, present participle overbuilding, simple past and past participle overbuilt)

1. (transitive, intransitive) 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.

Antonyms

• underbuild

Derived terms

• overbuilder

Translations

to perform excessive construction

• Bulgarian: презастроявам (prezastrojavam)
• Finnish: liikarakentaa

To build on top of another structure.

• Bulgarian: надстроявам (nadstrojavam)
• Finnish: rakentaa päälle