overestimate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
overestimates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overestimated,
past participle, past
-
overestimating
present participle
-
to estimate at too high a value, amount, rate, or the like.
Don't overestimate the car's trade-in value.
-
to hold in too great esteem or to expect too much from.
Don't overestimate him—he's no smarter than you are.
noun
-
overestimates
plural
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overestimatesimple
-
overestimatessimple
-
have overestimatedperfect
-
has overestimatedperfect
-
am overestimatingprogressive
-
are overestimatingprogressive
-
is overestimatingprogressive
-
have been overestimatingperfect progressive
-
has been overestimatingperfect progressive
Past
-
overestimatedsimple
-
had overestimatedperfect
-
was overestimatingprogressive
-
were overestimatingprogressive
-
had been overestimatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overestimate
Explanation
If you're confident your favorite team will win the championship even though the star player is injured, you may want to reconsider: don't let your team spirit cause you to overestimate, or overvalue, the team's abilities. When you estimate something, you make a calculation or a judgment of its value. So, when you overestimate, you assign too much value to the thing you are judging. If you overestimate how much time you have left to get to school, you could be late. Likewise, if you overestimate how prepared you are for a test, you might end up with a poor grade. This verb is the opposite of underestimate, or “to assign too little value.”
Vocabulary lists containing overestimate
Flush
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
East of Eden
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Hollow City
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
It’s hard for investors to learn from their mistakes because they tend to underweight the importance of luck, overestimate the role of skill and “overinterpret what may be chance events,” says Alex Edmans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Confirming the upcoming meeting between Araghchi and Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "The importance of this conversation is hard to overestimate given how the situation around Iran and in the Middle East is developing."
From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026
Workers who underestimate how long 65-year-olds typically live are also more pessimistic about their own longevity — with only 25% expecting to reach age 90, versus 72% of those who overestimate.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 23, 2026
"If you are contacting a sample with a gloved hand, you're likely imparting these stearates that could overestimate your results."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 29, 2026
“People tend to overestimate my character,” I say quietly.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
NBCUniversal executive Mark Marshall publicly criticized Nielsen, saying it overestimates streaming viewership at the expense of traditional media companies’ valuations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
Unfortunately, the price action overestimates near-term profit possibility, Reese explained while cutting the stock to Underperform from Neutral.
From Barron's ● Mar. 6, 2026
For any shot, everyone overestimates the likelihood of it going in.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2024
When your congregation zealously overestimates the epistemological functionality of empiricism in the work of logical positivism, you trap the conversation of science and consciousness in your lethally boring Vienna wagon-Circling.
From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2024
This method overestimates the known range by only two percent.
From Comparative Ecology of Pinyon Mice and Deer Mice in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado by Charles L. Douglas
But the strategists hold that these worries are overestimated.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
The EU said AliExpress' "overestimated the effectiveness of its system in detecting and removing illegal products".
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
He has admitted he overestimated how well his players would deal with the pressure of the Ashes, yet has to marry that with his determination to remove pressure from the dressing room.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
The practice upended hotels’ planning by prompting them to increase staff and begin World Cup-themed renovations, preparing for crowds that may have been overestimated from the outset.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
“His systems. Alexander’s systems are nothing you should be bothering with. You have no idea what you’re doing. I overestimated your ability to handle this challenge.”
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
That is one reason investors may be overestimating how hawkish Warsh will be on rates.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
There's a risk of people overestimating a robot's capabilities, he says.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
What is certain is that this will take much more time than Musk imagines, even if he isn’t overestimating his ultimate needs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
"We may be overestimating microplastics, but there should be none," said McNeil, senior author of the study and U-M professor of chemistry, macromolecular science and engineering, and the Program in the Environment.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 29, 2026
My father has a bad habit of overestimating his charm—and also my mother’s patience.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
