Meanings
verboverfish (third-person singular simple present overfishes, present participle overfishing, simple past and past participle overfished)
present singular third person overfishes · participle present overfishing · participle past overfished · past overfished
- ambitransitiveTo fish (an area or a species) excessively, often substantially reducing over several years the supply of one or more species of fish in an area.
In the 1970s, it become^([sic]) increasingly clear that cod were being overfished in the northwest Atlantic Ocean.
2001, Bob Ritter, “Chapter 4: Sustaining Aquatic Ecosystems”, in Science 10, Nelson Thomson Learning, page 152
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*úp
- Proto-Indo-European*upér
- Proto-Germanic*uber
- Old Englishofer-
- Middle Englishover-
- Englishover-
- Proto-Indo-European*péysks
- Proto-Germanic*fiskaz
- Proto-West Germanic*fisk
- Old Englishfisċ
- Middle Englishfisch
- Englishfish
- Englishoverfish
Translations
Māori hao tuhene
- hao tuheneto catch fish excessively reducing future catches
Swedish överfiska
- överfiskato catch fish excessively reducing future catches
Cite this entry
APA
overfish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overfish
MLA
“overfish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overfish. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “overfish,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overfish.
Source: overfish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.