overcommit

American  

[oh-ver-kuh-mit] / ˌoʊ vər kəˈmɪt /

verb (used with object)

overcommitted, overcommitting

1. to commit more than is feasible, desirable, or necessary.

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overcommit British  

/ ˌəʊvəkəˈmɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to promise, undertake, or allocate more than the available resources justify

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Other Word Forms

• overcommitment
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of overcommit

First recorded in 1950–55; over- + commit

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

overcommit overcommitted overcommitting

Some investors said that it has been better to not overcommit after any one development, knowing a reversal might be just a social-media post away.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

He began cautiously, with neither fighter willing to overcommit in a cagey opening few rounds.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2025

These guys commit to a bit, and commit, and commit, and overcommit and keep on going.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2025

Kalms acknowledged the potential for donors to overcommit but said they’ve taken precautions to prevent “going after people that can’t really afford these donations.”

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 2, 2023

Instead of jumping into his assignment right away, Rivera said, Davis could have baited the lineman with an intentionally false step, forced him to overcommit and used his athleticism to evade the block altogether.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 14, 2022

Some who worked with him in the Ministry Of Defence said he had long been warned its budget was already overcommitted, stretching back to the previous government when he served as shadow defence secretary.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

"You have of LPs out there who are overcommitted and have capital calls and they have to sell at discount."

From Reuters ● Sep. 11, 2023

The decision reflects the fact that demand for Covid vaccines has plummeted worldwide, and that Gavi has found itself overcommitted to vaccine purchases when countries don’t want them.

From New York Times ● Dec. 8, 2022

Airline executives admit that they overcommitted and have reduced capacity by 16% since this spring.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2022

Finding himself overcommitted, he had decided to send Maurice instead.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

But CEO Wendell Weeks is wary of overcommitting to bullish tech companies who may not need as much manufacturing capacity as they think.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

"There’s a history of growers in Vietnam being fickle in response to market price fluctuations, overcommitting, and then flooding the market with quantities of their new crop," Mr Firth says.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2024

“If you find yourself overcommitting to gifts and events and travel around the holidays, could it have something to do with your fear of missing out on what others are doing?” asks Torabi.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2023

As Ukraine builds up its armor, its military leaders have shown professionalism and discipline by not overcommitting resources too soon, said Ben Hodges, a retired lieutenant general and former commander of U.S.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 20, 2023

Still, he never turned down a request from Farmer, whose early caution about overcommitting PIH resources had given way to around-the-clock urgency.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

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