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overspend

[oh-ver-spend]
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verb (used without object), o·ver·spent, o·ver·spend·ing.
  1. to spend more than one can afford: Receiving a small inheritance, she began to overspend alarmingly.
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verb (used with object), o·ver·spent, o·ver·spend·ing.
  1. to spend in excess of: He was overspending his yearly salary by several thousand dollars.
  2. to spend beyond one's means (used reflexively): When the bills arrived, he realized he had foolishly overspent himself.
  3. to wear out; exhaust.
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Origin of overspend

First recorded in 1580–90; over- + spend
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for overspend

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • I am never called anything but Mollie, except when I overspend my allowance, and mother feels it her duty to scold me.

    The Fortunes of the Farrells

    Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey

British Dictionary definitions for overspend

overspend

verb (ˌəʊvəˈspɛnd) -spends, -spending or -spent
  1. to spend in excess of (one's desires or what one can afford or is allocated)
  2. (tr; usually passive) to wear out; exhaust
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noun (ˈəʊvəˌspɛnd)
  1. the amount by which someone or something is overspent
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for overspend

v.

1610s, "to wear out," from over- + spend. Meaning "to spend more than is necessary" is attested from 1857. Related: Overspent; overspending.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper