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overthink

British

/ ˌəʊvəˈθɪŋk /

verb

to spend more time thinking about something than is necessary or productive

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

"As adults, we overthink: 'How am I coming across? How's everyone perceiving me?'," she says.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

“I tend to overthink it when I know too much.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

When looking for the best ways to play the ongoing semiconductor boom this year, investors might not want to overthink things.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 9, 2026

The best bet for investors during this period may be to not overthink, especially with trading volumes so low.

From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025

There wasn’t a trace of cunning in May, and you could depend on her not to overthink her answers.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023