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

Reports of an outbreak tied to Clemson, a university with an enrollment of approximately 30,000 students located about 120 miles east of Atlanta, came just three days after NBC News reported that the measles outbreak in the Palmetto State had gone into overdrive. —Erika Edwards, NBC news, 19 Jan. 2026

By 2017, fate went into overdrive. —Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 15 Jan. 2026

The young man from the India Office is scarcely cold in his grave before the story moves on, shifting into investigative overdrive. —Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026

But mainly, the defense went into overdrive. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 12 Jan. 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