overpromise
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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:
Most media acquisitions overpromise synergies, underdeliver creativity and destroy capital.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025
Swinney has to try and inspire his followers on the independence question, but he also doesn't want to overpromise.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2025
She didn’t overpromise, and neither did the actual science that inspired this.
From Slate ● Jun. 28, 2025
At the same time, he says, “in science, it’s good to play a bit of devil’s advocate” rather than overpromise a result that turns out to be incorrect.
From Scientific American ● May 11, 2023
“But on the other stuff, did Roc Nation overpromise on what they could accomplish?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2022
Sheffield retired two decades later but returned as CEO in 2019 after the company overspent and overpromised investors.
From Reuters ● Oct. 16, 2023
Despite getting rave reviews on the West Coast, it’s clear from your reporting that Zum overpromised and underdelivered in Howard County.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2023
The current system of dividing water among the states is based on the 1922 Colorado River Compact, which assumed a stable climate and overpromised what the river could provide.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2023
For his part, Mr. Ramaswamy said that criticism that he overpromised was missing the point.
From New York Times ● Jun. 27, 2023
The main source of disagreement was from Inslee, who earlier expressed concerns that the proposed plan overpromised on what it could deliver, while underspending on maintenance and the State Patrol.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2023
But investors have gotten used to Musk’s overpromising over the years.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 26, 2025
Some of the biggest beneficiaries of that rally fell sharply amid concerns of overspending, and overpromising, on AI initiatives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2025
“There’s always a balance between meeting people where they’re at and connecting with them in a way that resonates, while also not overpromising, underdelivering, or misleading anyone.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2025
And the unexpected return of Oasis's iconic Mancunian contemporaries The Stone Roses in 2011, after a 20-year absence, highlighted the danger of overpromising and underdelivering.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2024
“They’re not providing the energy that we’re relying on them for. They’re overpromising and underdelivering,” said Ari Eisenstadt, an energy equity manager with the California Environmental Justice Alliance.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 9, 2023
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.
