overestimate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
overestimates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overestimated,
past participle, past
-
overestimating
present participle
-
to estimate at too high a value, amount, rate, or the like.
Don't overestimate the car's trade-in value.
-
to hold in too great esteem or to expect too much from.
Don't overestimate him—he's no smarter than you are.
noun
-
overestimates
plural
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overestimatesimple
-
overestimatessimple
-
have overestimatedperfect
-
has overestimatedperfect
-
am overestimatingprogressive
-
are overestimatingprogressive
-
is overestimatingprogressive
-
have been overestimatingperfect progressive
-
has been overestimatingperfect progressive
Past
-
overestimatedsimple
-
had overestimatedperfect
-
was overestimatingprogressive
-
were overestimatingprogressive
-
had been overestimatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overestimate
Explanation
If you're confident your favorite team will win the championship even though the star player is injured, you may want to reconsider: don't let your team spirit cause you to overestimate, or overvalue, the team's abilities. When you estimate something, you make a calculation or a judgment of its value. So, when you overestimate, you assign too much value to the thing you are judging. If you overestimate how much time you have left to get to school, you could be late. Likewise, if you overestimate how prepared you are for a test, you might end up with a poor grade. This verb is the opposite of underestimate, or “to assign too little value.”
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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:
Investors tend to underestimate the risks and overestimate the returns of holding a concentrated stock position, according to Brian Smith, head of the Wealth Education Center at Morgan Stanley Investment Management.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
However, don’t overestimate the value of these credentials, according to job-market experts.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
"Part of the problem is we overestimate how much finances work," says Carney.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
"If you are contacting a sample with a gloved hand, you're likely imparting these stearates that could overestimate your results."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 29, 2026
I've spent so much time making sure I don't underestimate my opponents that I've forgotten it's just as dangerous to overestimate them as well.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
NBCUniversal executive Mark Marshall publicly criticized Nielsen, saying it overestimates streaming viewership at the expense of traditional media companies’ valuations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
Unfortunately, the price action overestimates near-term profit possibility, Reese explained while cutting the stock to Underperform from Neutral.
From Barron's ● Mar. 6, 2026
It's tremendous knockabout stuff, but it rather overestimates the scale of the challenge Scotland have faced when playing against England in the Townsend era.
From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026
Whatever the full explanation, the current focus on shoplifting is part of a broader trend: The public often overestimates crime.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 3, 2023
In reality the child at first overestimates his powers and behaves fearlessly because he does not recognize dangers.
From A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
Opting for the big tech credo of “move fast and break things,” they vastly overestimated their abilities — and the American people’s tolerance.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2026
Systolic pressure was overestimated by 6.5 mmHg, while diastolic pressure was overestimated by 4.4 mmHg.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
But the strategists hold that these worries are overestimated.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Another study found that people overestimated how restrictive others were in relation to gender norms such as mothers returning to work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
They had overestimated the speed with which they could defeat the Soviet army and underestimated the will to resist not only of the Soviet troops but also of the Soviet people.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
“The market is underestimating the breadth of XPeng’s AI ambitions but could be overestimating how quickly this can translate into earnings,” Hsiao said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
He believes the market is overestimating the adverse impact of AI-based design rivals and notes user interest in Adobe’s own AI features.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
There's a risk of people overestimating a robot's capabilities, he says.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
But investors might be overestimating the odds that central banks will raise rates in response to the war.
From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026
It was flattering, but Shady was highly overestimating my circle of friends.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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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.
