overstretch
Americanverb (used with object)
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to stretch excessively.
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to stretch or extend over.
noun
verb
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to make excessive demands or put excessive pressure on (oneself, finances, etc)
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to stretch (muscles or limbs) too much or too hard
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overstretchsimple
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overstretchessimple
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have overstretchedperfect
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has overstretchedperfect
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am overstretchingprogressive
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are overstretchingprogressive
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is overstretchingprogressive
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have been overstretchingperfect progressive
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has been overstretchingperfect progressive
Past
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overstretchedsimple
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had overstretchedperfect
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was overstretchingprogressive
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were overstretchingprogressive
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had been overstretchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overstretch
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.
See Examples For:
Some critics have voiced concern that the agreement could overstretch U.S. shipyards and make it harder to maintain America’s own fleet.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 13, 2023
To ensure a reliable service, he said Delta would not try to overstretch its resources.
From Reuters ● Jan. 13, 2023
"We were trying to take him as far as we could but not overstretch him, so he can be ready for the playoffs," Baker said.
From Fox News ● Oct. 2, 2021
Whatever happened on the tanker, human rights organisations say that to label these three young men as terrorists is a serious overstretch.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2021
“That was a nasty crash you just had. What happened, anyway? Something go wrong with the bike? Arthur Weasley overstretch himself again, him and his Muggle contraptions?”
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Even when the film occasionally overstretches its CGI, it shows so much promise and creativity in its worldbuilding that it’s easy to forgive.
From The Verge ● Sep. 5, 2019
This overstretches especially the flexer tendons which run underneath the arch, produces bunions, and gives occasion for the development of corns.
From Psychotherapy by Walsh, James J. (James Joseph)
Broader concerns of overstretched valuations have also fuelled fears of a market bubble, along with questions over when the eye-watering sums being spent on AI will reap returns.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
"Strength-based physical activity is a powerful tool, particularly in support of healthy ageing – helping prevent or delay poor health, keeping us mobile and independent and easing pressures on overstretched health and care services."
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
Parish, which has 350 employees and between 100 and 600 contractors on-site daily, is needed to support an overstretched power grid, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
So why has metro travel struggled in a country where car ownership is still low and other public transport systems are overcrowded and overstretched?
From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026
Hagrid, who was invited to the wedding the following day, but was far too bulky to sleep in the overstretched Burrow, left to set up a tent for himself in a neighboring field.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
“China always opposes overstretching the concept of national security and discriminatory moves that target companies from certain countries,” Lin Jian, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said at a regular press briefing Monday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025
But as they found glory at home and in Asia, their parent company was overstretching itself in an inflated property market.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2025
This gearing mechanism not only contributes to the overall elongation of the muscle but reduces the elongation of individual fascicles at any given time, preventing them from overstretching and getting injured.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 6, 2023
The committee “is concerned that the United States risks overstretching its capabilities and resources, in addition to the challenges faced by the defense industrial base in replenishing stocks of munitions and equipment,” the report said.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 5, 2023
And, of course, he felt he had more than enough administrative experience in large projects to oversee electromagnetic separation, plutonium, and the chain-reaction pile without overstretching himself.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
