overestimate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overestimatesimple
-
overestimatessimple
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have overestimatedperfect
-
has overestimatedperfect
-
am overestimatingprogressive
-
are overestimatingprogressive
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is overestimatingprogressive
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have been overestimatingperfect progressive
-
has been overestimatingperfect progressive
Past
-
overestimatedsimple
-
had overestimatedperfect
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was overestimatingprogressive
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were overestimatingprogressive
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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.”
Vocabulary lists containing overestimate
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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.
College graduates tend to dramatically overestimate their starting salaries, with studies showing that students expect to earn $80,000 to $100,000, while the actual starting salary is around $56,000.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 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
We always overestimate the speed at which these transitions disrupt existing industries.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
As Amara’s Law says, we overestimate a technology’s short-term impact and underestimate its long-term effects.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026
The curse of knowledge means that we’re more likely to overestimate the average reader’s familiarity with our little world than to underestimate it.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
