• Today's Word

Glut

🔊 Listen to the word Glut

GLUHT

Definition

(noun/verb) An excessively abundant supply of something; or to supply or fill to excess.

Example

The market glut of avocados caused prices to plummet, leaving farmers with unsold crops.

Word Origin

Middle English: from Old French “gloutir” meaning “to swallow,” derived from Latin “gluttire” meaning “to gulp down.”

Fun Fact

A glut isn’t always about food—though the word’s swallowing origins suggest it. Economic gluts happen when supply dramatically exceeds demand, flooding markets and crashing prices. The 1980s oil glut saw prices collapse from oversupply. Tech companies experience gluts too—remember when warehouses overflowed with unsold fidget spinners? While abundance sounds positive, a glut reveals the delicate balance between plenty and excess. Too much of anything, even something valuable, can become worthless when there’s simply too much to go around.