overplay

play

verb over·play \ ˌō-vər-ˈplā \

Definition of overplay

transitive verb

1 a :to present (a dramatic role) extravagantly :exaggerate

b :to place too much emphasis on

2 :to rely too much on the strength of —usually used in the phrase overplay one's hand

3 :to strike a golf ball beyond (a putting green)

intransitive verb

:to exaggerate a part or effect

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See overplay defined for kids

Examples of overplay in a Sentence

The network news overplayed the story just to get good ratings.
He overplayed the death scene.

Recent Examples of overplay from the Web

It was so overplayed that the band actually apologized for it.

— andrew joseph, USA TODAY, "ESPN using Taylor Swift's song for college football ads," 28 Aug. 2017
In fact, polls have shown that in the years around the election, the percent of Republican survey respondents who believed the media were overplaying the seriousness of the issue increased.

— justin worland, Time, "Climate Change Used to Be a Bipartisan Issue. Here's What Changed," 27 July 2017
Russia may have overplayed its hand in Syria and could be looking to cut a diplomatic deal.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "A toehold for peace in Syria," 19 July 2017
And based on how small but powerful their kiss moment was in the finale, hopefully Arrow won't overplay their relationship again.

— sydney bucksbaum, The Hollywood Reporter, "DC TV Watch: All the Biggest Reveals From the Season Finales," 14 July 2017
More from the CJ: U of L athletics budget chief: Audit overplayed department's reliance on foundation Another college-aged woman was robbed near the intersection of M and Rodman streets.

— darcy costello, The Courier-Journal, "LMPD encourages other potential victims of man arrested Thursday to come forward," 23 June 2017
Sometimes, media reports about the Miami condo market can be overwhelmingly negative, and buyers start to dangerously overplay their hands.

— by karen matluck, miamiherald, "My 5 best tips for Miami condo buyers," 18 June 2017
Yet his line readings come off as overplayed, clashing with the film's interior portrait.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Books / Film E.L. Doctorow’s ‘Wakefield’ should have stayed on the page," 16 June 2017
Romero has overplayed his hand, but Usher isn't going to do anything about it yet.

— ethan renner, baltimoresun.com, "'House of Cards' Season 5, Episode 10 recap: Bombshell hearing," 2 June 2017

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

First Known Use of overplay

1767

OVERPLAY Defined for English Language Learners

overplay

play

verb

Definition of overplay for English Language Learners

: to give too much attention to (something) : to make (something) seem more important than it really is
: to show too much emotion when acting in a play, movie, etc.

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See words that rhyme with overplay Nglish: Translation of overplay for Spanish speakers

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