overstate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- overstatement noun
Etymology
Origin of overstate
Explanation
To overstate is to exaggerate or place too much importance on something. Your parents may overstate the dangers of driving on icy roads to scare you into being extra careful. If you want your brother to help you move some furniture, you might overstate how much your back hurts. And, if you're ready for lunch but your friend is dawdling, you'll be tempted to overstate how cranky you get when you're hungry. More seriously, politicians have been known to overstate the threat of terrorism or other dangers in order to gain support for a bill or a candidate.
Vocabulary lists containing overstate
"Ad Power," "Without Commercials," and "What's Wrong with Advertising"
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“Mandatory Vaccination is Not the Answer to Measles” by Bob Sears
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The Number Devil
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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.
“I think the ideological divide that’s happening right now—it’s important to address, but we shouldn’t overstate it,” she says.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
“It is difficult to overstate just how much of an impact the fate of this budget will have for U.S.-Taiwan relations,” said David Sacks, an Asia-focused fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
In his seminal work on the impact of automation on jobs, MIT economist David Autor noted the tendency of headlines to overstate the extent of job losses from new technology.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
It is hard to overstate what a game-changing moment this court verdict is for social media.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
It may be impossible to overstate the significance of race in defining the basic structure of American society.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
