overachieve
Americanverb (used without object)
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to perform better or achieve more than people are generally expected to, often because of high ambition, pressure from family, etc.
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to perform, especially academically, above the potential indicated by tests of one's mental ability or aptitude.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of overachieve
1950–55; over- + achieve, or by back formation from overachiever
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Paradoxically, the social pressure to overachieve as a parent only seems to intensify with mothers’ increased participation in the labor market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
There is hope however that China will "underpromise but overachieve" as it has with some previous targets, including on renewable energy.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2025
"They'll put down a certain number, which is not great, and then they will overachieve it, and China does that a lot."
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2025
That I had to shrink, impress or overachieve to deserve it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2025
For outsiders, the Pacific Island teams often overachieve and Fiji beat England in the buildup to lay down a warning to pool rivals Wales and Australia.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 1, 2023
McDermott noted that the company overachieved in the second quarter with some federal deals, but was still raising its full-year forecast.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Meanwhile, gross margins overachieved in the quarter, on the strength of tariff recovery.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
“I never knew if I overachieved or underachieved. I just did what I loved,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 19, 2026
Liverpool have overachieved in recent seasons in the WSL under manager Matt Beard, raising expectations and ambitions.
From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2024
We overachieved in 2022, and quite frankly we underachieved in 2023, and I think everybody recognizes that.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2024
Emery, though, defended his side and insisted even if their title hopes are done they are overachieving.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
With a 29-17 record, entering Wednesday’s games, Boston isn’t merely overachieving in what was supposed to be a down year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
And now with "Love Hurts," Marvin channels his overachieving tendencies into his second career, earning the title of Regional Realtor of the Year — with the framed certificate to prove it.
From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2025
Meanwhile, it would be fair to argue that Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Fulham are overachieving compared with many people's expectations, with their points tally significantly better than at this stage last season.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2024
He was the embodiment of the myth that had made Permian so enormously popular—small, overachieving, white, fearless.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
