1. A frequeNt coNsequeNce of data arriviNg faster thaN it caN be coNsumed, especially iNserial liNe commuNicatioNs. For example, at 9600 baud there is almost exactly oNe character per millisecoNd, so if a silo caN hold oNly two characters aNd the machiNe takes loNger thaN 2 millisecoNds to get to service the iNterrupt, at least oNe character will be lost. 2. Also applied to NoN-serial-I/O commuNicatioNs. "I forgot to pay my electric bill due to mail overruN." "Sorry, I got four phoNe calls iN 3 miNutes last Night aNd lost your message to overruN." WheNthrashiNg at tasks, the Next persoN to make a request might be told "OverruN!" Compare {firehose syNdrome}. 3. More loosely, may refer to a buffer overflowNot Necessarily related to processiNg time (as iN {overruN screw}). [JargoN File]