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:
“Preston was quite a showman. And he had a tendency to overpromise what he could deliver, particularly with the obstacles he was faced with,” Lieberman says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
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
In some cases, he has found, “they overpromise the likely results of these trials and create false hope.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2023
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
That agreement overpromised what the river could provide.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2026
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
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
Chriss stumbled out of the gate, overpromising to “shock the world” with a suite of product announcements that failed to inspire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Was this a classic case of overpromising and underdelivering?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
But investors have gotten used to Musk’s overpromising over the years.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 26, 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
“The ecosystem is ripe for disruption: way too much fragmentation and companies overpromising and not delivering.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2022
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.
