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overtrade

American  
[oh-ver-treyd] / ˌoʊ vərˈtreɪd /

verb (used without object)

overtraded, overtrading
  1. to trade in excess of one's capital or the requirements of the market.


overtrade British  
/ ˌəʊvəˈtreɪd /

verb

  1. (intr) (of an enterprise) to trade in excess of capacity or working capital

"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

Etymology

Origin of overtrade

First recorded in 1615–25; over- + trade

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:

John Bogle, founder of the Vanguard Group said he is concerned about the temptation to overtrade more narrow ETFs.

From US News Oct. 7, 2014

As a result, they often overtrade, and in so doing, undermine their prior performance.

From Scientific American Sep. 6, 2011

I had overtraded; I had pyramided my paper profits until my affairs were in such a state that a sudden drop of ten points would wipe me out entirely.

From The Gold Bag by Wells, Carolyn

The pattern day-trading rule was meant to protect retail investors from overtrading, and also to protect brokerages, which had to meet certain cash-balance and margin requirements.

From MarketWatch Jun. 3, 2026

“Perpetual futures facilitate continuous speculation and potentially overtrading, rapid losses and financial harm.”

From Barron's Jun. 3, 2026

Professional investors might react more, as their job may be to try to outperform market indexes, for example, but the average individual might be best served by continuing to buy and hold, rather than overtrading.

From Salon Mar. 28, 2025

Emotional investors are those who decide with emotions rather than reason, committing cognitive errors that lead to harmful behavior – such as overtrading, buying high and selling low, or vice versa.

From Forbes Oct. 14, 2014

Besides this, there is a great unproductive consumption of capital during the stagnation which follows a period of general overtrading.

From Principles Of Political Economy Abridged with Critical, Bibliographical, and Explanatory Notes, and a Sketch of the History of Political Economy by Mill, John Stuart

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