overdo

over·do | \ ˌō-vər-ˈdü

How to pronounce overdo (audio)

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overdid\ ˌō-vər-ˈdid

How to pronounce overdid (audio)

\; overdone\ ˌō-vər-ˈdən

How to pronounce overdone (audio)

\; overdoing\ ˌō-vər-ˈdü-iŋ

How to pronounce overdoing (audio)

\; overdoes\ ˌō-vər-ˈdəz

How to pronounce overdoes (audio)

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Definition of overdo

transitive verb

1a : to do in excess

b : to use to excess

2 : to cook too long

intransitive verb

: to go to extremes

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about overdo

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Examples of overdo in a Sentence

You should exercise every day, but don't overdo it. The acting in that play was badly overdone. Don't overdo the salt in this recipe. The cook overdid the hamburgers.

Recent Examples on the Web Anything worth doing is worth overdoing, or so the Democrats seemed to think Thursday night. — Bill Goodykoontz, azcentral, "The best Democratic debate so far may have been the worst TV; here’s why that matters," 12 Sep. 2019 Those feelings might be enhanced by our tendencies to overdo, well, just about everything, said Halaris. — Jen Christensen, CNN, "Back to work blues are real and treatable," 2 Sep. 2019 Sure, though giving awards to eight principal soloists from one show might be overdoing it. — Paul Grein, Billboard, "The Quickest Way to Get Three-Quarters of an EGOT (And It's Perfectly Legit)," 6 Aug. 2019 In this case, no one wants to overdo it at a major, so this was nothing out of the ordinary. — Doug Ferguson, baltimoresun.com, "Tiger Woods goes into British Open having played less, with hopes of playing more," 16 July 2019 That, and everyone should be careful not to overdo it on detergent. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "How to Tell If Your Laundry Detergent Is Messing With Your Skin," 15 June 2019 Art to playing links golf' At least Woods is not the only one who can't be accused of overdoing things. — Rob Hodgetts, CNN, "Tiger Woods laughs off Brooks Koepka's snub ahead of The Open," 16 July 2019 Between the threat of inadvertently overdoing it and the potential for a flare-up, blush might seem like more trouble than it’s worth. — A.a. Newton, SELF, "Don't Let Facial Redness Caused by Rosacea Scare You Off Blush," 17 May 2019 Taking charge and exercising first thing will also help stop one day of overdoing it from turning into a week of overeating—which is one of the main ways a splurge leads to weight gain. — Joy Bauer, Ms, Woman's Day, "How to Overcome Overeating," 20 Dec. 2011

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'overdo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near overdo

Statistics for overdo

Last Updated

24 Oct 2019

Time Traveler for overdo

The first known use of overdo was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for overdo

overdo

verb

English Language Learners Definition of overdo

: to do too much of (something) : to do (something) in an excessive or extreme way

: to use too much of (something)

: to cook (food) for too long

See the full definition for overdo in the English Language Learners Dictionary

overdo

over·do | \ ˌō-vər-ˈdü

\

overdid\ -ˈdid \; overdone\ -ˈdən \; overdoing\ -ˈdü-iŋ \

Kids Definition of overdo

1 : to do too much of Don't overdo it exercising.

2 : to use too much of They overdid the decorations.

3 : to cook too long I overdid the steak.

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