overdo
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
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to overtax the strength of; fatigue; exhaust.
-
to cook too much or too long; overcook.
Don't overdo the hamburgers.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to take or carry too far; do to excess
-
to exaggerate, overelaborate, or overplay
-
to cook or bake too long
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to overtax one's strength, capacity, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overdosimple
-
overdoessimple
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have overdoneperfect
-
has overdoneperfect
-
am overdoingprogressive
-
are overdoingprogressive
-
is overdoingprogressive
-
have been overdoingperfect progressive
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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:
It’s a lot of my new journey, but I wanted to make sure I didn’t overdo it.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
Because EMS lacks familiar markers for exhaustion—it’s hard to gauge effort with involuntary muscle contractions—people can unwittingly overdo it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
But, Dr Munro cautions that you shouldn't overdo it.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2025
“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
“Which do not overdo it, Pip,” said Joe; “but I shall be happy fur to see you able, sir.”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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
“What we’re doing here is trying to take mechanisms that fight where your body overdoes it.”
From Washington Times ● Mar. 6, 2021
It never overdoes the retro affectations, and the lengthy middle section that slowly builds to the appearance of a choir is particularly fantastic.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 22, 2020
Sometimes Nature overdoes it: Schiller and Mozart died.
From Gilbert Keith Chesterton by Ward, Maisie
“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
Laufenberg overdid Konstantin’s temper tantrums in Act I, but found a convincingly pained and broken register for the closing scene.
From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2023
That time she overdid it I was almost to the river before the stinging stopped.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
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
While Thill believes the selloff is overdone, he and his team “acknowledge the concerns around RPO to revenue conversion and the slowdown in cloud apps,” he wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
“The recent bond yield spike may have been overdone and is now correcting itself slightly. But long rates should remain higher for longer for the foreseeable future.”
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
Yesterday’s jump as June expired looked overdone “and we should see some of the gains given back today,” Tradition Energy’s Gary Cunningham says in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Ifemelu thought most of the decor fussy and overdone, but the post received enthusiastic comments, especially about the decor.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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
Maybe you think I’m overdoing it, and maybe I am.
From Salon ● May 30, 2024
I suggest maybe that’s why he’s overdoing it.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie 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.
