overestimate

1 of 2

verb

over·​es·​ti·​mate ˌō-vər-ˈe-stə-ˌmāt 

overestimated; overestimating

transitive verb

: to estimate or value (someone or something) too highly

… the senator had been so responsible about his potential tax liabilities that he had substantially overestimated what he owed the government.

—David Burnham

… our habit of overestimating our knowledge and underestimating our ignorance …

—David A. Shaywitz

The emotional power of this reunion can't be overestimated.

—Joe Klein

"I mean that I am afraid I overestimated him. I don't think that he is a painter of the first rank."

—Henry James

overestimate

2 of 2

noun

over·​es·​ti·​mate ˌō-vər-ˈe-stə-mət 

plural overestimates

: an estimate that is too high

overestimates of the company's future profits

Diamond still attacks the growth projections that the utilities have put forward, arguing that the … figures were overestimates …

—Norman Boucher

Synonyms

Verb

• appreciate
• value
• overrate
• overvalue
• admire
• respect

Examples of overestimate in a Sentence

Verb

the contractors overestimated their ability to do the work on such short notice

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Too often, leaders overestimate readiness because things feel stable — but stability alone isn’t a green light to act. —Jessica Billingsley, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025

Try to overestimate everything going on. —Elina Landman, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025

Noun

Lynett said officials made accurate predictions of wave heights across the West Coast but may look into whether or not there were overestimates of the tsunami’s impacts in Hawaii. —Andrea Klick, Oc Register, 30 July 2025

This estimate may represent an overestimate if considering the ultra-depleted nature for the mantle source of the CE6 mare basalt (Zhou, Q. et al., manuscript in preparation). —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1797, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1828, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overestimate

• borosilicate
• decontaminate
• deoxycholate
• deteriorate
• differentiate
• diisocyanate
• dinoflagellate
• excommunicate
• incapacitate
• insubordinate
• intercorporate
• interpenetrate

Kids Definition

overestimate

verb

over·​es·​ti·​mate

ˌō-və-ˈres-tə-ˌmāt

overestimated; overestimating

1

: to estimate as being more than the actual size, quantity, or number

overestimated how many would attend

2

: to place too high a value on : overrate

overestimated his abilities

overestimate

-mət

noun

overestimation

-ˌres-tə-ˈmā-shən

noun