overstate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overstatesimple
-
overstatessimple
-
have overstatedperfect
-
has overstatedperfect
-
am overstatingprogressive
-
are overstatingprogressive
-
is overstatingprogressive
-
have been overstatingperfect progressive
-
has been overstatingperfect progressive
Past
-
overstatedsimple
-
had overstatedperfect
-
was overstatingprogressive
-
were overstatingprogressive
-
had been overstatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overstate
Explanation
To overstate is to exaggerate or place too much importance on something. Your parents may overstate the dangers of driving on icy roads to scare you into being extra careful. If you want your brother to help you move some furniture, you might overstate how much your back hurts. And, if you're ready for lunch but your friend is dawdling, you'll be tempted to overstate how cranky you get when you're hungry. More seriously, politicians have been known to overstate the threat of terrorism or other dangers in order to gain support for a bill or a candidate.
Vocabulary lists containing overstate
"Ad Power," "Without Commercials," and "What's Wrong with Advertising"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
“Mandatory Vaccination is Not the Answer to Measles” by Bob Sears
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Bunnicula
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
It would be difficult to overstate the influence Taylor Swift has had over the pop scene in this decade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
I don’t want to overstate the story, though I’m probably about to.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
Harrington said he is flattered by the praise, but he did not want to overstate his own importance on Burnham's journey.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
“It is hard to overstate how significant last night’s earnings were,” O’Regan wrote in his note to clients.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
They refused, as good scientists should, to overstate what they knew.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Of the 130 companies scored, roughly half showed meaningful AI activity by any measure — but even that overstates it.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
The May headline number alone overstates the slowdown in single-family construction, the kind of houses most public builders construct.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
It overstates the wage threat, misapplies the economics of crime, and treats cultural anxiety as a problem that can be eliminated by removing people rather than managing change.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
Nancy Vanden Houten, a lead US economist at Oxford Economics, cautioned that the jump in new home sales in August "likely overstates any improvement in housing activity".
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025
It also overstates the importance of rare geniuses, such as Watt and Edison.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
I eventually hired a professional to take care of the grass, which came with an overstated bill every month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
They say the return on capex is being underestimated rather than overstated, and the earnings strength is broader than the handful of companies usually associated with it.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
When drawing comparisons with Norway, it cannot be overstated how the outrageous Haaland hauls them up a fair bit.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
The importance of habeas corpus at this moment cannot be overstated.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026
For most of us, the periodic table is a thing of beauty in the abstract, but for chemists it established an immediate orderliness and clarity that can hardly be overstated.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
One of the demonstrators accused her online of overstating the company’s work with the Pentagon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
At the same time, she cautioned against overstating the gender differences.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
Molyneux has previously come under fire from fans and critics alike for overstating game features and getting carried away with ideas.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
Microsoft’s comments could help relieve concerns that large technology companies are overstating the useful life of Nvidia chips and other AI processors that power their data centers.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
Whatever the case, it’s probably the only thing he could have possibly said that would have made our parents momentarily...happy might be overstating it.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
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.
