overcapitalize

verb

over·​cap·​i·​tal·​ize ˌō-vər-ˈka-pə-tə-ˌlīz 

-ˈkap-tə-

overcapitalized; overcapitalizing; overcapitalizes

transitive verb

1

: to put a nominal value on the capital of (a corporation) higher than actual cost or fair market value

2

: to capitalize beyond what the business or the profit-making prospects warrant

overcapitalization

ˌō-vər-ˌka-pə-tə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

-ˌkap-tə-

noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet now banks gripe that the Fed’s leverage limit is too stringent, and Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein last year complained that banks are overcapitalized. —The Editorial Board, WSJ, 19 Apr. 2018

SoftBank CEO Aims to Be Biggest Tech Investor Son’s mega-fund will unleash an unprecedented amount of money into sectors already seen as overcapitalized. —Peter Elstrom, Bloomberg.com, 21 May 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1