overplay
verb
over·play
ˌō-vər-ˈplā 
overplayed; overplaying; overplays
1
a
: to present (a dramatic role) extravagantly : exaggerate
b
: to place too much emphasis on
2
: to rely too much on the strength of
—usually used in the phrase overplay one's hand
3
: to strike a golf ball beyond (a putting green)
: to exaggerate a part or effect
Examples of overplay in a Sentence
The network news overplayed the story just to get good ratings.
He overplayed the death scene.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sociologist Barry Glassner, author of The Culture of Fear, highlights that societies frequently overplay dangers and underplay resilience, especially in the media.
—
Margie Warrell, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
One risk: that the BOJ overplaying its hand on rate cuts might tip an underperforming economy into recession.
—William Pesek, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024
But as her shell cracks, Dern moves from perplexity to anguish to incandescent rage, never once overplaying her hand.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 8 May 2024
Mac is well aware that the Internationals are the underdogs in this contest, but the extent of the American advantage is also often overplayed by the media, which solely focuses on the end results and pays short thrift to the numerous close matches that could’ve really gone either way.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for overplay 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Margie Warrell, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
One risk: that the BOJ overplaying its hand on rate cuts might tip an underperforming economy into recession.
—William Pesek, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024
But as her shell cracks, Dern moves from perplexity to anguish to incandescent rage, never once overplaying her hand.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 8 May 2024
Mac is well aware that the Internationals are the underdogs in this contest, but the extent of the American advantage is also often overplayed by the media, which solely focuses on the end results and pays short thrift to the numerous close matches that could’ve really gone either way.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for overplay
Dictionary Entries Near overplay
Cite this Entry
“Overplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overplay. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
overplay
verb
over·play
ˌō-vər-ˈplā
1
: exaggerate, overemphasize
newspapers overplayed the story
2
: to rely too much on the strength of
overplayed my hand and lost
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share