Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

overbook

verb

/ˌoʊvərˈbʊk/

Definition

to accept more reservations than available capacity allows.

Examples

The airline decided to overbook its flights to maximize profit, but ended up having to compensate several passengers.
After analyzing the booking patterns, the hotel chose to overbook during peak season, expecting some guests to cancel.

Meaning

The term ‘overbook’ is commonly used in the context of airlines and hotels, where more bookings are taken than there are seats or rooms available, anticipating that some customers will cancel or not show up.