overblow
Americanverb (used with object)
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to give excessive importance or value to.
to overblow one's own writing.
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to overinflate.
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to blow over the surface of, as the wind, sand, or the like.
dead leaves overblowing the yard.
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to blow (a wind instrument or an organ pipe) in such a way as to produce overtones.
verb (used without object)
verb
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music to blow into (a wind instrument) with greater force than normal in order to obtain a harmonic or overtone instead of the fundamental tone
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to blow (a wind instrument) or (of a wind instrument) to be blown too hard
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to blow over, away, or across
Etymology
Origin of overblow
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at over-, blow 2
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:
“There’s a performative aspect where employees overblow their usage of AI so that they appear relevant in the organization,” says Andrea Derler, principal researcher at Visier, which helps companies track and analyze employee work habits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
I’ve just always tried to be ethical and responsible and not overblow a situation or oversell a storm.
From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2022
But the overblow and waste has many analysts and public officials scratching their heads.
From Fox News ● May 1, 2020
Mr. Walters warned that if pumped too hard, the instrument will overblow.
From New York Times ● Dec. 16, 2015
My lord, be not dismay'd for what is past; You know that women oft are humorous: These clouds will overblow with little wind; Let me alone, I'll scatter them myself.
From The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd
The ship started very well, but the wind "overblew the tide"; she caught in the dock-gates, and settled hard upon the ground, so that there was no possibility of launching her that day.
From Men of Invention and Industry by Samuel Smiles
Mao was introduced to readers as the “Chairman of the Chinese Central Soviet Government”—vastly overblowing his true political status in China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
“It gets a little bit different as we get down to really the final two games, making sure that everybody’s understanding of the circumstances but we’re not overblowing any situation or any game.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 14, 2024
“It was, ‘Oh, this is media pollution, you’re overblowing this,’” she recalled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2020
"I think the attorney general's critics are overblowing what this is," Yoo said.
From Fox News ● Apr. 17, 2019
The Holztrompete is in the key of C; the scale is produced by overblowing, whereby the upper partials from the 2nd to the 6th are produced.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 5 "Hinduism" to "Home, Earls of" by Various
Military officials have disputed that there are severe issues afflicting the ship, and some veterans have also suggested that the accounts in the media are overblown.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Concerns of distillation are largely overblown, according to Florian Brand, research engineer at AI company Prime Intellect.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Automakers and robotics-industry officials argue that worker fears about job displacement through robots and AI are overblown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Acts of piracy by Tripoli, Jefferson’s main excuse for fighting, were overblown as well.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
She was no stranger to the overblown courtesies of Qarth.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
