overstate
verb (used with object)
to state too strongly; exaggerate.
had been overstating
-
past perfect progressiveof overstate.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
G.E. had been overstating profits in a bid to jack up its share price in the years after Mr. Welch retired, using myriad well-honed tactics to fudge the numbers, the S.E.C. said.
From New York Times ● May 21, 2022
In 2017, Twitter also realized it had been overstating its user figures by about 1 million to 2 million users for three years.
From The Verge ● Apr. 28, 2022
And in 2017, Twitter said it had been overstating its monthly user numbers by mistake because it was including users of a third-party app it should not have.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 20, 2021
The government found that the automakers had been overstating fuel economy numbers on about a third of their models, not that they had overstated the figures by as much as a third.
From New York Times ● Dec. 21, 2016
He had not the heart to undeceive the unhappy man, though both he and Foster were aware that Mott had been overstating the facts in his desire to comfort Peter John's father.
From Winning His "W" A Story of Freshman Year at College by Everett Titsworth Tomlinson
