oversell

verb

over·​sell ˌō-vər-ˈsel 

oversold ˌō-vər-ˈsōld  ; overselling

transitive verb

1

a

: to sell too much or too many to

b

: to sell too much or too many of

2

: to make excessive claims for

oversell

ˈō-vər-ˌsel 

noun

Examples of oversell in a Sentence

Hotels routinely oversell their rooms, expecting a small percentage of no-shows.

Don't oversell yourself in the job interview.

The salesman oversold the features on the new model.

Recent Examples on the Web

The reading suggests breadth is oversold and poised for a short-term recovery to the benefit of interest rate-sensitive sectors, in particular, such as utilities which have been hit hard by rising Treasury yields. — Katie Stockton, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026

But is cottage cheese good for you in every context, or does the trend oversell what a scoop of curds can actually do? — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026

The ones who oversell their AI transformation will lose deals to platforms that were built for this moment. — Rafael Flores, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026

But Gareth Fry’s thundering, rumbling sound design too often oversells the suspense. — Frank Rizzo, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for oversell

• bagatelle
• calomel
• caravel
• carousel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele
• commonweal
• coronel
• decibel
• demoiselle
• fontanelle

Kids Definition

oversell

verb

over·​sell ˌō-vər-ˈsel 

oversold -ˈsōld  ; overselling

: to sell too much to or of