overstimulate

American  

[oh-ver-stim-yuh-layt] / ˌoʊ vərˈstɪm yəˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

overstimulated, overstimulated

1. to stimulate (something) to an excessive or harmful degree.

2. Physiology. to cause (someone) to experience sensory overload.

3. Physiology. to cause (a gland, nerve, or other organ) to become overactive and produce an abnormal increase in its usual activity.

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verb (used without object)

overstimulated, overstimulated

1. Physiology. (especially of a gland or nerve) to become overactive and produce an abnormal increase in its usual activity.

Other Word Forms

• overstimulation noun
• overstimulative adjective
• overstimulatory adjective

Example Sentences

The pulsating music, giant inflatables tossed into the crowd and sudden blasts of fog can overstimulate kids.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 3, 2025

Alicia also says day-to-day activities, like grocery shopping, medical appointments and haircuts, have been abandoned, as she prioritises preventing situations that could overstimulate her son.

From BBC • Jan. 3, 2024

Making a room hypertransparent for people who are deaf may overstimulate people who are autistic.

From Scientific American • Mar. 20, 2023

This happens when companies use a combination of salt, sugar and fat to create foods that overstimulate the taste buds — and yet are designed to never quite leave you feeling satisfied.

From Salon • Jan. 16, 2023

The dry practice of a single instrument and the simple drill of choral exercises will not be apt to overstimulate the currents of nerve force.

From Reminiscences, 1819-1899 by Howe, Julia Ward