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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.

It holds heat, keeps its nerve, and moves easily from stovetop to oven to broiler and back again without asking you to switch vessels or overthink it.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

You shouldn't overthink your first job, agrees Charlotte Bosworth, chief executive of apprenticeship provider Lifetime Training, which works with brands like Nando's and B&Q as well as the Department for International Trade.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

"Sometimes you can overthink too much about, oh, we're playing against England, we're playing against West Indies."

From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026

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