overbooking

nounB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,795 of 15,258Too rare in one of the two pools to compare — fewer than 20 uses in speech or in writing

Overbooking is taking more bookings than there are rooms. Deliberate overbooking, an overbooking policy, blame the overbooking.

Airlines and hotels do it on purpose, because a predictable share of bookings never turn up, and the mathematics usually works. When it does not, somebody is bumped, and passengers in Europe have a legal right to compensation when that happens.

Definitions of overbooking

1nounoverbookingTaking more bookings than there are rooms.B2+
“Because of overbooking, the airline asked for volunteers to take a later flight.”

overbooking is a practice.

Where it comes from

overbook comes from over- + book.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

← Vocabulary

overbooking

nounB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,795 of 15,258Too rare in one of the two pools to compare — fewer than 20 uses in speech or in writing

Overbooking is taking more bookings than there are rooms. Deliberate overbooking, an overbooking policy, blame the overbooking.

Definitions of overbooking

1nounoverbookingTaking more bookings than there are rooms.B2+
“Because of overbooking, the airline asked for volunteers to take a later flight.”

overbooking is a practice.

Where it comes from

overbook comes from over- + book.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA