overdrive
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to push or carry to excess; overwork.
-
to drive too hard.
noun
-
Machinery, Automotive. a device containing a gear set at such ratio and arrangement as to provide a drive shaft speed greater than the engine crankshaft speed.
-
Also called hyperdrive. Informal. a state of intense activity or productivity.
The political campaign has shifted into overdrive.
noun
-
a very high gear in a motor vehicle used at high speeds to reduce wear and save fuel
-
in a state of intense activity
-
into a state of intense activity
verb
Etymology
Origin of overdrive
First recorded before 950; Middle English overdriven “to cover over, overpower”; Old English oferdrīfan “to drive away, overthrow”; equivalent to over- ( def. ) + drive ( def. )
Vocabulary lists containing overdrive
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:
"Our study suggests that's not necessarily a broken pattern-separation system, but possibly an overactive version of a normal survival mechanism gone into overdrive," said Brandon.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
Homebuilders say even given some relief from litigation, they aren’t sure Proposition 37 would push construction into overdrive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
The news that she was dating Ventimiglia kicked the frenzy into overdrive, especially since he was 30 years old at the time while she was 18.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
Plus, “moles” in China are leaking official secrets for profit, and the bruising race to rent in San Francisco goes into overdrive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Percy’s pulse was still in overdrive, but it wasn’t from fear of getting into trouble.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
The enveloping roar of distorted guitars and overdriven amps.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 27, 2021
Musselwhite’s tones range from Little Walter-like overdriven vamps to a caressing contribution reminiscent of Larry Adler on the excellent album-ending ballad “Nothing at All.”
From Washington Times ● Mar. 29, 2018
The guitars have the low-fi distortion and unhurried attack of indie-rock; drums and bass are choppy and overdriven, like old-school hip-hop.
From New York Times ● Mar. 10, 2017
Where King Midas is carefully scrubbed of bright tones, Bug's "Sleng Teng" is all overdriven oranges and yellows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 26, 2015
The work was genuine work, and we were not overdriven.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
I’ve been amplifying the ukulele through a pick-up and then overdriving it in a really great tube amp, so the texture became not the stereotypical strum of the ukulele.
From New York Times ● Apr. 17, 2011
He also knows that overdriving will only shorten the days of his usefulness; he therefore wisely lets him stagger by unmolested, with his light load.
From The Pirate City An Algerine Tale by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne
Others were designed to destroy the hard disk by directly overdriving the disk or would cause amonitor to self-destruct.
From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Winn Schwartau
The Clinton tried with me, and I had to keep my esper carefully aimed at the road ahead because I was definitely overdriving my eyesight and reaction-time.
From Highways in Hiding by George Oliver Smith
The overdriving of trail cattle was frequently unavoidable, dry drives and the lack of grass on arid wastes being of common occurrence.
From The Outlet by Andy Adams
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
