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
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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
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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.”
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.
See Examples For:
Hubris leads people and nations to overestimate what their power can accomplish and to underestimate the effectiveness of their opponents’ response.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
"Part of the problem is we overestimate how much finances work," says Carney.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
Workers who underestimate how long 65-year-olds typically live are also more pessimistic about their own longevity — with only 25% expecting to reach age 90, versus 72% of those who overestimate.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 23, 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
“You overestimate my abilities, but only slightly. And you didn’t answer my question.”
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
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
While a partnership with one of the foremost AI developers would be “a vital long-term strategic move against AI search cannibalization,” the price action Thursday overestimates near-term accretion, Reese asserted.
From Barron's ● Mar. 6, 2026
For any shot, everyone overestimates the likelihood of it going in.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2024
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
Man studies his kind too much apart from other animals and perhaps either underestimates or overestimates the amount of inherited, innate, instinctive qualities.
From Visual Illusions Their Causes, Characteristics and Applications by Matthew Luckiesh
Resting the arm on the lap overestimated systolic BP, the top number of a reading, or the force of blood flow when pumped out of the heart, by 3.9 mmHg.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
The company overestimated demand, picked the wrong characters and made too many of dolls, said Gerrick Johnson, senior research analyst at Seaport Research Partners, which has a buy rating on Funko.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
But the strategists hold that these worries are overestimated.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
But experts say another key factor was that India overestimated its own production - and allowed sugar to be exported before the extent of the shortfall became clear.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
The whirlpool is massive, and I seriously overestimated how far I could jump.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
“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
My father has a bad habit of overestimating his charm—and also my mother’s patience.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
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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.
