Synonyms

overdo

American

[oh-ver-doo] / ˌoʊ vərˈdu /

verb (used with object)

to do to excess; overindulge in.

to overdo dieting.
to carry to excess or beyond the proper limit.

He puts on so much charm that he overdoes it.
to overact (a part); exaggerate.
to overtax the strength of; fatigue; exhaust.
to cook too much or too long; overcook.

Don't overdo the hamburgers.

verb (used without object)

to do too much; go to an extreme.

Exercise is good but you mustn't overdo.

overdo British

/ ˌəʊvəˈduː /

verb

to take or carry too far; do to excess
to exaggerate, overelaborate, or overplay
to cook or bake too long
to overtax one's strength, capacity, etc

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

overdoer

noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of overdo

before 1000; Middle English overdon, Old English oferdōn. See over-, do ¹

Vocabulary lists containing overdo

Commonly Confused Words, List 2

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Commonly Confused Words, List 4

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Commonly Confused Words, List 8

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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:

overdo overdoes overdid overdone overdoing

“It’s not aggressive, it’s not overly sexual, but it does address the stereotypes of guys in dating and how they overdo it,’” Assalini said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026

But, Dr Munro cautions that you shouldn't overdo it.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2025

“One of the best things about music’s potential to decrease dementia risk is that it is fun, can be interactive and you can’t overdo it,” Jaffa said.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2025

“We have this tendency to overdo it,” Russell said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2025

I think I’m just too wobbly for her nerves, because even Dr. Rashid admits that walking is good for me as long as I don’t overdo it or get stranded.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

He beats Shubman’s outside edge with his first offering, but overdoes his second and gets driven down the ground for four.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 19, 2021

“What we’re doing here is trying to take mechanisms that fight where your body overdoes it.”

From Washington Times ● Mar. 6, 2021

She overdoes her offer of a nightcap to an increasingly angry Frankenstein, first proffering brandy, then “varm milk . . . perhaps?” and, finally, the chocolate malted kid’s drink Ovaltine.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 27, 2021

“The movie succeeds because it at once restrains its sticky, gooey good cheer and wildly overdoes it,” the critic A. O. Scott wrote in The New York Times.

From New York Times ● Dec. 24, 2018

The Last Supper is pictured after Leonardo da Vinci, and Judas comes into relief, a sullen scowler, who overdoes his part thus early.

From Romantic Spain A Record of Personal Experiences (Vol. I) by John Augustus O'Shea

“We underdid it in the great financial crisis, so we overdid it here,” said Patrick Harker, who was president of the Philadelphia Fed for a decade before stepping down last June.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

Here’s what to do if you overdid it.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 12, 2026

Carse was lively, asked to bowl bouncers as early as the 15th over of the day, a plan that England overdid.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2024

I know I’m in the minority here, but they overdid it with Grogu.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2022

“Though if that were true I think I overdid it.”

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

One clue that the precipitous drop might be getting overdone: The company has continued to report double-digit year-over-year revenue growth.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

But many sell-side analysts, or those working for brokerage firms, believe that weakness is overdone, as they see tremendous upside potential for many stocks in the industry.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

De Los editors Fidel Martinez and Suzy Exposito call out overdone Latin music trends and the best albums of 2026 on ‘The De Los Podcast.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Blue Owl, Blackstone and other investment firms have said fears gripping the relatively new market are overdone, and that their loan portfolios are doing well.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

It’s as if she’s too attentive to them, too polite, studied and overdone.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Berg’s Guard might overdo it with the vociferousness with which he announces every entrance at the court, but overdoing it is Ionesco’s mode.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026

Some also say Americans — as in the case of previous health fads — run the risk of overdoing it.

From MarketWatch ● May 10, 2026

Soni said the key isn’t overdoing it on pilots, and instead thinking critically about which ones to pursue.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026

Tina says there's also a fine line between refreshing and overdoing it as "very aggressive ice exposure can irritate sensitive skin or trigger rosacea, so keep it gentle".

From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026

I suggest maybe that’s why he’s overdoing it.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023