Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To take reservations for (an airline flight, for example) beyond the capacity for accommodation.
- intransitive verb To take reservations beyond the capacity for accommodation.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To
sell orguarantee more seats for for an event than actually exist.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Prisons overbook for the same reason holiday camps do: to compensate for the inevitable number of detainees who fail to show up for confirmed reservations for one reason or another, or those who escape.
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The result is doctors drastically overbook, spend very little time with a patient, and more often than not don't correctly treat the problem.
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Prisons overbook for the same reason holiday camps do: to compensate for the inevitable number of detainees who fail to show up for confirmed reservations for one reason or another, or those who escape.
Archive 2009-08-01 2009
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Well, this is all fine and dandy, but now a new policy is in place that allows central reservations (1800 call center) to overbook a hotel by 5 rooms even if the hotel is completely full.
La Quinta Wants It Both Ways With Guaranteed Reservations - The Consumerist 2008
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They "guarantee" a room by obligating you to pay full price for it even if you don't show up, but they also reserve the right to overbook the hotel by 5 rooms and re-book your room at another La Quinta.
La Quinta Wants It Both Ways With Guaranteed Reservations - The Consumerist 2008
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(Boeing's production dropped more because of a strike in 2008.) "In recent years, we could have ramped up far more dramatically, but we preferred to overbook," Mr. Enders said.
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I understand, airlines desperately need to make money and overbook to keep flight costs down in the face of high fuel charges.
Gerit Quealy: A Beauty Junkie Goes Flying (Off the Handle) 2010
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People who overbook their lives often have trouble saying no, limiting time with people who stress them out, and letting go of perfectionistic standards for both themselves and others.
The Life You Want Bob Greene 2010
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I tend to overbook myself, like an airline that sells more seats than it has.
Excerpt: 'The 10 Laws Of Enduring Success' Maria Bartiromo 2010
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Like the airlines, these medical plans overbook their schedules.
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