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

One Mile at a Time has already raised the question of what happens when a flight is oversold or a misconnecting standby passenger needs that seat. — Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

But some car rental companies see an opportunity when they're oversold. — Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 17 July 2026

Refined, energetic, and confident enough not to oversell itself. — Rafael Peña, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026

Matt Powers, founder of Powers Advisory Group, recently told CNBC the stock is heavily oversold . — Michelle Fox, CNBC, 26 June 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