overdrive

noun

over·​drive ˈō-vər-ˌdrīv 

1

: an automotive transmission gear that transmits to the drive shaft a speed greater than engine speed

2

: a state of heightened activity

going into rhetorical overdrive

Examples of overdrive in a Sentence

He put the car into overdrive.

His acting career is in overdrive.

The reporters went into overdrive to finish their stories on time.

Recent Examples on the Web

Fresh off her award win, Zendaya’s mainstream takeover goes into overdrive coming out of the pandemic. —New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026

Masayoshi Takanaka’s Viral Surfboard Guitar Moment Then came the TikTok that sent everything into overdrive. —Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 8 Apr. 2026

Interestingly, the exhibit was already in the works before Kansas City was announced as a World Cup host city; the appointment just made the museum kick the idea into overdrive. —Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026

When your body heats up, your sweat glands kick into overdrive everywhere—feet included. —Christa Sgobba, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for overdrive

• alive
• archive
• arrive
• beehive
• connive
• contrive
• deprive
• derive
• revive
• survive
• dive
• drive

Kids Definition

overdrive

noun

over·​drive ˈō-vər-ˌdrīv 

: a transmission gear in an automobile that allows the drive shaft to operate at a speed greater than that of the engine crankshaft