o·ver·kill (ō'vər-kĭl')
n.

1. Destructive nuclear capacity exceeding the amount needed to destroy an enemy.
2. Excessive killing.
3. An excess of what is necessary or appropriate for a particular end: "government overkill in dealing with dissent" (Jesse Unruh).

tr.v., -killed, -kill·ing, -kills. (ō'vər-kĭl')
To destroy (an enemy or enemy target) with more nuclear force than necessary.

---

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

---