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Prepositions after verbs

Overrun by or overrun with?

Both overrun by and overrun with are common. Use by for the agent or source causing the takeover, and with for something filling a place in large numbers.

Quick answer

Quick answer

Use overrun by when focusing on who or what is taking control of a place. Use overrun with when describing a place full of something.

The town was overrun by enemy forces.
The garden is overrun with weeds.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
overrun by + people or force

Who or what takes control?

Use by to name the group, force, or thing causing the takeover.

The village was overrun by tourists in summer.
The server was overrun by spam accounts.
2
overrun with + things or creatures

What fills the place?

Use with when a place becomes full of something unwanted or excessive.

The field was overrun with rabbits.
Her inbox is overrun with promotional emails.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
overrun by
The border town was overrun by rebels.
Focuses on the force or group causing the takeover.
overrun with
The old house was overrun with insects.
Focuses on large quantities filling a place.
overrun in
The city was overrun in the final days of the war.
In is a time adjunct here, not the selected preposition after overrun.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using with for the attacking group

With usually describes things filling a place, not the attacking force.

✕ The city was overrun with soldiers. ✓ The city was overrun by soldiers.

Using by for quantities or infestation

By sounds unnatural when describing a place full of plants, insects, or objects.

✕ The garden was overrun by weeds. ✓ The garden was overrun with weeds.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The beach was overrun ___ tourists.
2. The kitchen was overrun ___ ants.
3. The network was overrun ___ fake accounts.

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Frequently asked questions

Can overrun by and overrun with both be correct?

Yes. The choice depends on meaning: by focuses on the source or agent, while with focuses on abundance or infestation.

Is overrun usually negative?

Yes. It often describes invasion, infestation, overcrowding, or loss of control.

Can I use overrun without a preposition?

Yes. For example: Enemy troops overran the city.

oblige-to-by-with-in, for obscure by, for, from, in or to? observe in, by, on, with or for? "obsess about" or "obsess over"? "obtain from" or "obtain by"? occupy by, with, in, for or at? occur in, to, at, on or during? offend by, at, in, against or with? "offer by" or "offer to"? offset by, from, with, for or against? "omit from" or "omit by"? "open in" or "open to"?

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