1. to extract minerals or ore from a mine in excessive quantities, depleting the resource or causing environmental damage
Usage: transitive verb; chiefly used in mining and environmental contexts
2. to mine an area too intensively, removing more ore than is sustainable or economically justified
Usage: transitive verb; technical/industry-specific

Examples

• The company was criticized for overmining the region, leaving behind barren landscapes.
• If we continue to overmine these deposits, future generations will have no access to the resource.
• Environmental groups warned that overmining would destroy the local ecosystem.
• The government imposed new regulations to prevent companies from overmining in protected areas.
• Overmining has depleted many of the world's richest mineral reserves.