The capability to obliterate a target with more weapons (especially nuclear weapons) than are required

Usage examples of overkill.

The picture that came up was of a multistage rocket, the kind that would be overkill if all one needed to do was get a satellite into orbit.

John Patten, the junior Health Minister, was quick to dismiss any fears of official panic or overkill.

We think the last three sprays are overkill, considering that water alone will often do the trick.

I became fascinated by words and phrases like thermal hurricane, overkill, circular error probability, postattack environment, stark deterrence, doserate contours, killratio, spasm war.

Even if that many potential impactors existed, even if we could make them all collide with Venus (this is the overkill approach to the impact hazard problem), think what we would have lost.

It hadn't been all that bad once they got pack animals to take the weight instead of carting it on their own backs, but Roger had brought over nine thousand rounds down with him, which had represented a pretty severe case of overkill .

Just as often, however, when that promising director makes the leap from independent/small-budget film it is right into the tarpit of Hollywood overkill.