overachieve

[ oh-ver-uh-cheev ]

/ ˌoʊ vər əˈtʃiv /

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verb (used without object), o·ver·a·chieved, o·ver·a·chiev·ing.

to perform, especially academically, above the potential indicated by tests of one's mental ability or aptitude.

to perform better or achieve more than expected, especially by others.

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Origin of overachieve

1950–55; over- + achieve, or by back formation from overachiever

OTHER WORDS FROM overachieve

o·ver·a·chieve·ment, nouno·ver·a·chiev·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use overachieve in a sentence

Only three draft classes — 2006, 2007 and 2008 — have overachieved more than this one at the same point of the season.
AFC South thrives and the Steelers stay unbeaten in NFL Week 11|Cindy Boren, Mark Maske, Des Bieler|November 23, 2020|Washington Post
Only three other draft classes, 2006, 2007 and 2008, have overachieved more than the one we are seeing in 2020 at this same point in the season.
The 2020 rookie class is taking the NFL by storm. Here’s what that means for the future.|Neil Greenberg|November 18, 2020|Washington Post
Annie (Alison Brie) was a perfectionist and overachiever who crashed and burned after an Adderall addiction.
‘Community’: Season 4 of the NBC Comedy Ponders the End|Jace Lacob|February 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
To say Paula Broadwell is an overachiever is an understatement.
Paula Broadwell: Is She Petraeus’s ‘Other Woman’?|Diane Dimond|November 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST

It will be really, really fast Like that overachiever in your high school, Apple has to be the best at everything.
5 Things We Know About the New iPhone 5 (Maybe)|Nina Strochlic|August 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
An overachiever, you nonetheless demand familial support and validation.
Stars Predict Your Week|Starsky + Cox|October 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST
“When I want to read a book, I write a book,” quipped the prolific and bestselling overachiever.
Benjamin Disraeli: Dead Cool|Simon Doonan|September 30, 2009|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for overachieve

overachieve

/ (ˌəʊvərəˈtʃiːv) /

verb

(intr) to perform (for example, in examinations) better than would be expected on the basis of one's age or talents

Derived forms of overachieve

overachiever, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012