overuse
Americanverb (used with object)
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overuses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overused,
past participle, past
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overusing
present participle
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overusesimple
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overusessimple
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have overusedperfect
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has overusedperfect
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am overusingprogressive
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are overusingprogressive
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is overusingprogressive
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have been overusingperfect progressive
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has been overusingperfect progressive
Past
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overusedsimple
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had overusedperfect
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was overusingprogressive
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were overusingprogressive
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had been overusingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overuse
Explanation
To overuse something is to use it too much. If you use your cell phone way too often, texting your friends all day long and playing online Scrabble all night, you overuse it. You'll drive your English teacher crazy if you overuse the word like, and you'll rack up all kinds of extra fees if you overuse your iPad. Overuse is also a noun (with a slightly different pronunciation, just as the noun use sounds different from the verb use) — extravagant or excessive use is overuse. The world's overuse of fossil fuels contributes to the rapid warming of the planet.
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:
Dr Kently says he's seen an exponential rise in a condition called perioral dermatitis in teens, which is related to the overuse of ingredients that strip skin barriers like exfoliating hydroxy acids and retinoids.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Years of drought and overuse have left Lake Powell’s water levels near historic lows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
He acknowledges that there are some well-established societal downsides to overuse of Meta’s social-media, especially among young people, but he appreciates “at least there’s no cloud in their revenue.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
Actors, writers, production staff and movie fans are still resistant to the overuse of AI and defining when and where it is acceptable, so studios are treading lightly, said AI film studio CEO Mooser.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Yet, perversely, pressure is growing in some quarters to reduce the number of shelters to discourage what is seen—amazingly to me—as overuse of the trail.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Any agency that overuses its water allotment would face penalties, which it would pass on to its customers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2022
For this reason, writing that overuses the sentence patterns There are .
From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021
"Selena + Chef" is an accessible work about process; "Cooking with Paris" is a show pony when famous guests gush over how influential Hilton used to be while she overuses edible glitter.
From Salon ● Nov. 17, 2021
He overuses the sidearm slot, but Lock can whip the ball from funky arm angles like few outside of Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers or Matthew Stafford.
From Reuters ● Apr. 22, 2019
It’s always dumb little things—phrases he overuses, foods he won’t eat, socks on the floor, too much football.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2016
“Tone poem” is an overused term in cinema, but the humbling “Time and Water,” graced with a playful, atmospheric Dan Deacon score, earns that distinction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Starmer's allies say the best thing to do is to be better, move faster, govern more effectively, and to show voters "the change" - the most overused, ill-defined couple of words in politics.
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
I enjoyed Ms. Javor’s op-ed on corporate jargon, though I never came to appreciate the overused metaphors that filled the meetings and memos of my 40-plus-year career.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
The bot and the baby know nothing of the world it describes, besides a handful of overused jargon that, like anything, loses its meaning if repeated enough times.
From Slate ● Mar. 20, 2026
This is much overused by powers that wannabe. preexisting condition.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
“If you’re overusing AI, that means you’re not doing anything unique as a human in that process, which means you’re going to be even more afraid of AI taking your job,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 11, 2026
I added in the guideline that we shouldn’t sanction an editor just because they start overusing some words or speaking in what’s “seen” as an A.I.-like tone.
From Slate ● Apr. 1, 2026
My own favorite LLM word is liminal, which ChatGPT, when pressed, claims the “culture” started overusing first.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
"I don't believe this should be considered normal, so I wanted to create an opportunity for our residents to reflect on whether they might be overusing their smartphones."
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025
The thing about Mr. Grayson’s open-door Babycakes policy was that none of the kids wanted to ruin it by overusing it.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
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.
