overdress
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
to dress with too much display, finery, or formality.
He certainly overdressed for the occasion.
-
to put excessive clothing on.
She tends to overdress her children.
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have overdressedperfect
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has overdressedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been overdressingperfect progressive
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am overdressingprogressive 1st person singular
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is overdressingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been overdressingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
overdressingparticiple
-
overdressessingular 3rd person
-
are overdressingprogressive
Past
-
had overdressedperfect
-
were overdressingprogressive plural
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overdressedsimple
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had been overdressingperfect progressive
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was overdressingprogressive singular
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overdressedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of overdress
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.
“It’s just flagrantly obnoxious to overdress in a workplace situation, especially when you’re a junior member,” said Gunn, best known for being a clear-eyed mentor on the fashion-design competition show “Project Runway.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026
Still, it’s hard to resist the temptation to overdress.
From Slate • Oct. 24, 2020
“She is very good-looking, of course, but she tends to overdress for the occasion.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2019
Like the also-new Millie’s in Spring Valley, the Salt Line is a fish house that doesn’t overdress for success.
From Washington Post • Aug. 28, 2017
Her overdress of flowered muslin was caught up at the sides in panniers over a quilted skirt of light blue satin.
From Marjorie's Maytime by Wells, Carolyn
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.