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overstress

American  
[oh-ver-stres] / ˌoʊ vərˈstrɛs /

verb (used with object)

  1. overemphasize.

  2. to subject to excessive stress or strain.

  3. Mechanics. to stress (a metal or other body) to the point of deformation.

Etymology

Origin of overstress

First recorded in 1915–20; over- + stress

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.

Sit in the building that originated “The Sopranos” and “The Wire” and you feel a certain pressure to intellectualize your ideas, to overstress your originality.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2025

Security Council, “I cannot overstress the severity of the situation in Haiti, where multiple protracted crises have reached a critical point.”

From Seattle Times • Jan. 25, 2024

Caldwell’s production is a cut above the original off-Broadway version, which tended to overstress the sitcom mechanics.

From Washington Post • Jun. 21, 2022

I really cannot overstress this: Don’t raise your voice to other kids on the playground.

From Slate • Feb. 3, 2021

In times of overstress and strain, the defective organ or organs will manifest their weakness.

From Crime: Its Cause and Treatment by Darrow, Clarence

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.