overbooked
adjective
What overbooked means
Having more people with reservations than there are seats or rooms available.
Our flight was overbooked, so we waited for the next one.
The hotel was overbooked and sent us to another one.
Test yourself
Five questions about overbooked
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Question 1 of 5Meaning
What does overbooked mean?
When a flight or a hotel is overbooked, the company has sold more tickets or rooms than it really has, so some people may not get a place.
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Question 2 of 5Situation
The plane has 180 seats, but the airline sold tickets to 195 passengers. The flight is…
The airline sold more tickets than there are seats, so the flight is overbooked. Delayed, cancelled and diverted are about the plane’s time or route, not the number of tickets.
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Question 3 of 5Gap
Airlines know that some passengers never turn up, so they sell extra tickets and many flights are ___.
Selling more tickets than there are seats is what makes a flight overbooked. Extra tickets do not make a plane late or keep it on the ground.
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Question 4 of 5Similar word
Which word is closest in meaning to overbooked?
An overbooked flight is oversold: the airline has sold more seats than the plane has. Overpriced means too expensive, and overdue means late.
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Question 5 of 5Correct use
Which sentence uses overbooked correctly?
Overbooked is an -ed adjective for the state of the flight. Overbooking is the airline’s action, a flight cannot overbook by itself, and a bag that is too heavy is overweight.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer, Enter goes on.
Overbooked in a sentence
5 more examples of overbooked in everyday situations.
- At the gate
The agent said the flight was overbooked and asked for volunteers to take a later one.
- At a hotel
The hotel was overbooked, so they moved us to their sister hotel downtown.
- The news
Overbooked flights are common during the holidays, when almost every seat is sold.
- As a verb
Airlines often overbook morning flights because some passengers never show up.
- Figurative
My calendar is overbooked this week, so can we meet on Monday?
How to use overbooked
Airlines and hotels sometimes overbook on purpose, because some people do not turn up. If too many people come, the company must find solutions.
The airline may ask for volunteers and offer money or a later flight.
Forms
- overbookverb
- overbookshe/she/it
- overbookingnoun / -ing form
Patterns
- be overbooked
- an overbooked flight / hotel
- overbook a flight / a hotel
Common mistakes with overbooked
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NotThe flight was overbooking.
SayThe flight was overbooked.
Use the -ed form for the state of the flight. Overbooking is the action of selling too many tickets, which the airline does.
Overbooked or fully booked?
- overbooked or fully booked
- Fully booked means every seat or room has been reserved, which is normal. Overbooked means more people have reservations than there are places, so someone will miss out.
Overbooked is a C1 word. Is that your level? Take the level test or count the words you know.
Overbooked word family and collocations
The words that go with overbooked, so you can use it in a whole phrase.
Common collocations
- an overbooked flight
- overbooked hotel
- get bumped
- volunteer to give up your seat
- compensation for overbooking
Word family
- overbooked (adjective)
- overbook (verb)
- overbooking (noun)
Questions about overbooked
What happens if a flight is overbooked?
The airline usually asks for volunteers to take a later flight in return for money or a voucher. If not enough people agree, some passengers may be moved to another flight.
Is overbooked one word?
Yes. Overbooked is written as one word, without a hyphen. The verb is overbook and the noun for the practice is overbooking.
The word before
Do you still remember feedback?
One question about the word from 21 October. Remembering a word a day later helps it stay.
One question
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What does feedback mean?
Feedback is what people tell you after they look at your work: what you did well and what you could improve next time.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer.
More travel words
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B2
timetable
A list that shows the times when buses, trains or planes leave and arrive. -
B2
accommodation
A place to stay while you travel, such as a hotel, a hostel or an apartment. -
C1
linger
To stay somewhere longer than necessary, because you enjoy it or do not want to leave. -
B2
souvenir
Something you buy or keep to remember a place or a trip. -
B1
departure
The act of leaving a place, especially at the start of a journey. -
B2
destination
The place where a person or thing is going, especially at the end of a journey.