overtax
Americanverb (used with object)
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overtaxes,
present (3rd person singular)
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overtaxed,
past participle, past
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overtaxing
present participle
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to tax too heavily.
-
to make too great demands on.
verb
-
to tax too heavily
-
to impose too great a strain on
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overtaxsimple
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overtaxessimple
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have overtaxedperfect
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has overtaxedperfect
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am overtaxingprogressive
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are overtaxingprogressive
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is overtaxingprogressive
-
have been overtaxingperfect progressive
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has been overtaxingperfect progressive
Past
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overtaxedsimple
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had overtaxedperfect
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was overtaxingprogressive
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were overtaxingprogressive
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had been overtaxingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overtax
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:
The heavy rains and floods also forced Formula One to cancel this weekend’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix to not overtax emergency crews that were already stretched thin in responding to the emergency.
From Seattle Times ● May 17, 2023
Why overtax the stamina of theatergoers who are still getting back into the habit of leaving their homes for entertainment?
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2023
Just scheduled rest for the 21-year-old shortstop, whom Martinez doesn’t want to overtax despite his age.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 7, 2022
Because a labor dispute led to an abbreviated spring training, Showalter has been careful, trying not to overtax his bullpen early.
From New York Times ● Apr. 10, 2022
Ladies who hunt should get a veterinary book, preferably Veterinary Notes for Horse-owners, and when they have read it through, they will not be likely to overtax the powers of their hunters.
From The Horsewoman A Practical Guide to Side-Saddle Riding, 2nd. Ed. by M. Horace (Matthew Horace) Hayes
She never looks less than perfectly photoshopped, but the production ultimately overtaxes her strengths.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2025
Venable distills his situation into a scene, which he then overtaxes into a full-scale play.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2025
Putting pencil to paper forces people to give spatial information—something that most liars have not prepared for as part of planning their lies and that, therefore, overtaxes their mental resources.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 27, 2011
New York is not the only U. S. city that cruelly overtaxes its real estate.
From Time Magazine Archive
The boy has often heavy goods to carry long distances, and overtaxes his strength.
From Boy Labour and Apprenticeship by Reginald Arthur Bray
The ship has experienced sewage problems, and sailors are overtaxed and some are even considering leaving the Navy after returning home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
But on a few days each year—particularly during heat waves, when people are using air conditioners—the grid gets overtaxed.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2025
Gov. Gavin Newsom has demanded an investigation as to why the hydrants ran dry, which officials say occurred as water supplies were overtaxed.
From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2025
The mandate for Disney’s studios “to support both the theatrical window and Disney+ has overtaxed their creative engine,” Creutz, the analyst, said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
Her voice climbs in pitch, as if she could use it to lend strength to my overtaxed arms.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
Any reform plan from a committee would still require lawmakers to cast a difficult vote exposing them to charges of overtaxing working Americans or stiffing retirees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
On both occasions, the science demonstrates that humans are overtaxing our oceans' ability to offset climate change.
From Salon ● May 9, 2024
There are AC window units in each of the rooms and in the living room, but during the day they use only the unit in the living room to avoid overtaxing the electrical system.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2023
But in the Philippines, government officials and parents remained hesitant, with fears that schoolchildren could bring the virus to homes crowded with multiple generations of family members, potentially overtaxing an already creaky health care system.
From New York Times ● Aug. 22, 2022
"I hope my sister is not overtaxing her strength, so soon after her illness. It would be a great pity if she were to suffer a relapse."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
