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:
It’s also true that the egg-freezing industry has an incentive to overpromise and oversell.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
“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
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
Newsom and others “may have overpromised what Prop. 50 could do,” Stutzman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2025
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
They claimed to pay more for their glasses than if LensCrafters had not overpromised and underdelivered.
From Reuters ● Aug. 1, 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
But investors have gotten used to Musk’s overpromising over the years.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 26, 2025
Hancock, who was in charge of the health department through much of the pandemic, developed a reputation in Downing Street for "overpromising and underdelivering," she added.
From BBC ● Nov. 20, 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
“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
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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.
