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
One thing that exacerbated the issues in Brooks’ case was that the model underpinning ChatGPT was running on overdrive to agree with him, Helen Toner, a director at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology and former OpenAI board member told The New York Times.
—
Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2025
Fear originates from one of the oldest parts of the brain, the limbic system, which goes into overdrive when people are faced with scary situations.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 15 Oct. 2025
The out-of-character cancellations caused the rumor mill to whip into overdrive, and Parton addressed the swirl directly by sharing a video of herself recorded today on the set of a commercial shoot for the Grand Ole Opry.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
Social media speculation went into overdrive.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overdrive
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Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2025
Fear originates from one of the oldest parts of the brain, the limbic system, which goes into overdrive when people are faced with scary situations.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 15 Oct. 2025
The out-of-character cancellations caused the rumor mill to whip into overdrive, and Parton addressed the swirl directly by sharing a video of herself recorded today on the set of a commercial shoot for the Grand Ole Opry.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
Social media speculation went into overdrive.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overdrive
Cite this Entry
“Overdrive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overdrive. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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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
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