overpromise
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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.
“Preston was quite a showman. And he had a tendency to overpromise what he could deliver, particularly with the obstacles he was faced with,” Lieberman says.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
Swinney has to try and inspire his followers on the independence question, but he also doesn't want to overpromise.
From BBC • Jul. 18, 2025
She didn’t overpromise, and neither did the actual science that inspired this.
From Slate • Jun. 28, 2025
In some cases, he has found, “they overpromise the likely results of these trials and create false hope.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2023
At the same time, he says, “in science, it’s good to play a bit of devil’s advocate” rather than overpromise a result that turns out to be incorrect.
From Scientific American • May 11, 2023
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.
