overstretch

[ verb oh-ver-strech; noun oh-ver-strech, oh-ver-strech ]

verb (used with object)

1. to stretch excessively.
2. to stretch or extend over.

noun

1. an act or instance of overstretching.

overstretch

/ ˌəʊvəˈstrɛtʃ /

verb

1. to make excessive demands or put excessive pressure on (oneself, finances, etc)
2. to stretch (muscles or limbs) too much or too hard

Word History and Origins

Origin of overstretch¹

1300–50; Middle English overstrecchen; over-, stretch

Example Sentences

However, the agency began to overstretch its finances and suffered heavy losses in the 1987 crash.

From The Daily Beast

As Professor Paul Kennedy of Yale has ominously warned, “imperial overstretch” can bankrupt and ruin even the mightiest empire.

From The Daily Beast

I do not overstretch the truth when I say that he liked himself first-rate.

From Project Gutenberg