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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.

I don’t want them to overthink it, but I want them to be inspired.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

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

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

“You know what your problem is? You overthink everything.”

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

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