overdraw
Americanverb (used with object)
-
overdraws,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overdrew,
past
-
overdrawn,
past participle
-
overdrawing
present participle
-
to draw upon (an account, allowance, etc.) in excess of the balance standing to one's credit or at one's disposal.
It was the first time he had ever overdrawn his account.
-
to strain, as a bow, by drawing too far.
-
to exaggerate in portraying, describing, depicting, or drawing.
The author has overdrawn the villain to the point of absurdity.
verb (used without object)
-
overdraws,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overdrew,
past
-
overdrawn,
past participle
-
overdrawing
present participle
-
to overdraw an account or the like.
It ruins one's credit to overdraw frequently at a bank.
-
(of a stove, fireplace, etc.) to draw excessively; have too strong an updraft.
When the flue overdraws, all the heat goes right up the chimney.
verb
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to draw on (a bank account) in excess of the credit balance
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(tr) to strain or pull (a bow) too far
-
(tr) to exaggerate in describing or telling
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overdrawsimple
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overdrawssimple
-
have overdrawnperfect
-
has overdrawnperfect
-
am overdrawingprogressive
-
are overdrawingprogressive
-
is overdrawingprogressive
-
have been overdrawingperfect progressive
-
has been overdrawingperfect progressive
Past
-
overdrewsimple
-
had overdrawnperfect
-
was overdrawingprogressive
-
were overdrawingprogressive
-
had been overdrawingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overdraw
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at over-, draw
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:
Just post some collateral and overdraw all you want, as long as you’re square by 6 p.m.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2025
If you overdraw your account for the first time, a call to your bank could get the charge removed.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 17, 2024
Roughly a third of all payday loans are now issued online, and almost half of borrowers who have taken out online loans have had lenders overdraw their bank accounts.
From New York Times ● Mar. 9, 2023
We also continue to overdraw from some of our biggest water bank accounts, the aquifers under the San Joaquin Valley.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2023
“People overdraw their accounts all the time,” she said.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
But if this system fails or overdraws these gases, these wells can introduce oxygen into the waste, speeding up waste decomposition and producing heat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2025
As Wang explained, shifting in his seat and gesturing with his hands throughout, Alameda earned an “allow_negative” badge because it helped the firm sidestep the automatic procedures Wang implemented to prevent account overdraws and wipeouts.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2023
“We’re in a period of 23 years of sustained drought and overdraws on the system,” he added.
From New York Times ● Jan. 27, 2023
He even overdraws his bank account to stretch the money further.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 20, 2018
In such emergencies one overdraws his account; he travels on the credit of the strength he expects to gain when he gets his dinner and some sleep.
From In the Catskills Selections from the Writings of John Burroughs by John Burroughs
When I was in college, I never overdrew my bank account.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025
For some reason, the bank debited my account twice for the same payment, which meant it overdrew my account and I got slapped with an overdraft fee.
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2020
At 11, Singh overdrew his approach and went into the pond.
From Golf Digest ● Mar. 22, 2020
In California, a worker was automatically fired after she overdrew her quota of unpaid time off by a single hour following a death in her family.
From The Verge ● Feb. 27, 2020
They stated, however, that Miss Van Allen was a most desirable patron and never overdrew her account or made trouble of any sort.
From Vicky Van by Carolyn Wells
After all the other expenses, “you’re left with a couple hundred dollars to play with. Sometimes that would cause me to be overdrawn if I wasn’t expecting a specific bill.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
When the funds arrived, Puech’s account at Gonet had been overdrawn for months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2025
A supermarket incorrectly charged a woman £533 for two peppers, leaving her overdrawn and incurring bank charges.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2024
There was no whimsy to this lifestyle, just overdrawn accounts and the creeping realization that I might live this way forever.
From Slate ● May 18, 2024
It was a very short swim, but she had overdrawn her strength for days past.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
Despite uncertainty over the exact figure, experts agree that overdrawing oil from the salt caverns it is stored in would damage the caverns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
“We urge any customer who may find themselves in financial difficulty due to overdrawing on their account to contact us.”
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 16, 2023
Legislation passed in 2014 requires water districts to stop overdrawing their aquifers by the 2040s.
From New York Times ● Feb. 21, 2023
He said the widespread depletion of groundwater is another symptom of overdrawing the region’s critical water reserves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2022
Anyone could give you a rope of pearls; it's simply a question of overdrawing enough from the bank.
From Once a Week by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne
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.
