overdo
Americanverb (used with object)
-
overdoes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overdid,
past
-
overdone,
past participle
-
overdoing
present participle
-
to do to excess; overindulge in.
to overdo dieting.
-
to carry to excess or beyond the proper limit.
He puts on so much charm that he overdoes it.
-
to overact (a part); exaggerate.
-
to overtax the strength of; fatigue; exhaust.
-
to cook too much or too long; overcook.
Don't overdo the hamburgers.
verb (used without object)
-
overdoes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overdid,
past
-
overdone,
past participle
-
overdoing
present participle
verb
-
to take or carry too far; do to excess
-
to exaggerate, overelaborate, or overplay
-
to cook or bake too long
-
to overtax one's strength, capacity, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overdosimple
-
overdoessimple
-
have overdoneperfect
-
has overdoneperfect
-
am overdoingprogressive
-
are overdoingprogressive
-
is overdoingprogressive
-
have been overdoingperfect progressive
-
has been overdoingperfect progressive
Past
-
overdidsimple
-
had overdoneperfect
-
was overdoingprogressive
-
were overdoingprogressive
-
had been overdoingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overdo
before 1000; Middle English overdon, Old English oferdōn. See over-, do 1
Vocabulary lists containing overdo
Commonly Confused Words, List 2
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Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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Commonly Confused Words, List 8
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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:
A little meta-theatrical hamminess goes a long way, and actors in general have a tendency to overdo the joke.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
But it is possible for companies to overdo a good thing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026
“One of the best things about music’s potential to decrease dementia risk is that it is fun, can be interactive and you can’t overdo it,” Jaffa said.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2025
"I mean, I'm not going to overdo it, but I felt sorry for him because he's under pressure. People make mistakes."
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2025
It is important not to overdo any particular endeavor.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
The performances are engaging, though Bates overdoes the overbearing nature of her voluble character: opinionated, judgmental and not hesitant to deliver dig after dig at Chrissie.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 13, 2023
No one overdoes it, even when the action gets baroque, and their restraint is matched by Haigh’s.
From New York Times ● Jul. 14, 2021
He beats Shubman’s outside edge with his first offering, but overdoes his second and gets driven down the ground for four.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 19, 2021
“What we’re doing here is trying to take mechanisms that fight where your body overdoes it.”
From Washington Times ● Mar. 6, 2021
Perhaps she is a little homesick, but is trying to make us think everything is all right, 116 and she overdoes it.
From The Turn of the Tide The Story of How Margaret Solved Her Problem by Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter
“We underdid it in the great financial crisis, so we overdid it here,” said Patrick Harker, who was president of the Philadelphia Fed for a decade before stepping down last June.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Here’s what to do if you overdid it.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 12, 2026
Carse was lively, asked to bowl bouncers as early as the 15th over of the day, a plan that England overdid.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2024
“Just overdid it a little bit today,” he said in a television interview April 10.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2022
She overdid the you startled me jump and turned around, a pink-handled hammer in hand.
From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth
But many sell-side analysts, or those working for brokerage firms, believe that weakness is overdone, as they see tremendous upside potential for many stocks in the industry.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
De Los editors Fidel Martinez and Suzy Exposito call out overdone Latin music trends and the best albums of 2026 on ‘The De Los Podcast.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
It followed a busy festive period with her husband Ross and four-year-old twins Max and Freddie, and when she developed a headache she initially thought she had just "overdone it".
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
But if the glamour of Ernst’s life is overdone, the novel is so action-packed that you hardly have time to roll your eyes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Sohrab smelled nice, like rosemary and leather, but he hadn’t overdone it.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
Berg’s Guard might overdo it with the vociferousness with which he announces every entrance at the court, but overdoing it is Ionesco’s mode.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
Some also say Americans — as in the case of previous health fads — run the risk of overdoing it.
From MarketWatch ● May 10, 2026
Tina says there's also a fine line between refreshing and overdoing it as "very aggressive ice exposure can irritate sensitive skin or trigger rosacea, so keep it gentle".
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026
True believers have a way of rhetorically overdoing it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025
I introduced myself, overdoing it a bit, and asked him his name.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
