overeat

American  

[oh-ver-eet] / ˌoʊ vərˈit /

verb (used without object)

overate, overeaten, overeating

1. to eat too much.

   If you overeat, you're bound to get fat.

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verb (used with object)

overate, overeaten, overeating

1. to eat more than is good for (oneself ).

   The food was so tasty we overate ourselves.

overeat British  

/ əʊvərˈiːt /

verb

1. to consume too much food

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Other Word Forms

• overeater
  noun

Etymology

Origin of overeat

First recorded in 1515–25; over- + eat

Explanation

If you gobble up so much lasagna or so many slices of birthday cake that your stomach hurts, you overeat, or consume too much. When people eat too much food, more than they need or are hungry for, they overeat. If you overeat regularly for a long time, you'll gain extra weight. One indulgent night of overeating may simply give you terrible indigestion and the desire to never see another hot dog in your life. We've used this verb, which comes from the Old English oferæt, "gluttony," since the 1590s.

Example Sentences

As millions of people turned to the medications to lose weight, physicians and researchers started to hear that the lack of desire to overeat extended to drinking.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 23, 2025

Ultra-processed foods are high in sodium, added sugar, saturated fats and chemicals that are designed to make the food easy and pleasurable to eat and overeat, Chiu said.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025

This is what UK scientists have discovered - identifying a genetic source of many labradors' - and some people's - tendency to overeat.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2025

In other words, because of the effects of diet culture, people who lack access to food feel so much guilt when they overeat that they respond by further starving their bodies.

From Salon • Oct. 9, 2024

He forgot Lavinia Lyte as he thought of the wonderful things it was her privilege to overeat if she wished.

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes