overplay

verb over·play \ ˌō-vər-ˈplā \

|Updated on: 31 Jul 2018

Examples: overplay in a Sentence

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

See overplay defined for English-language learners

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

This is a terrific cast, and Day has a blast overplaying his psychopath, although a little goes a long way.

— bill goodykoontz, azcentral, "Busy 'Hotel Artemis' isn't worth visiting," 7 June 2018
Some pirates overplay their roles, ruining the comedy by trying too hard.

— jack helbig, Chicago Reader, "After 139 years, Pirates of Penzance is still a satisfying combination of sweet and salty," 27 June 2018
Are outspoken liberals overplaying their hand and hurting red-state Dems in the process, POLITICO asks.

— NBC News, "First Read's Morning Clips: Comparing states' Senate and presidential votes," 26 June 2018
Earlier, the intentional comedy of intense awkwardness McEwan deploys in the hotel dinner scenes feels overplayed, uncertain.

— michael phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'On Chesil Beach' review: Saoirse Ronan stars in scenes from a brief marriage," 24 May 2018
But overplayed songs result at best in boring runs and at worst in frustrating runs.

— alli harvey, Anchorage Daily News, "When running gets monotonous, change the scenery or the soundtrack," 21 June 2018
What on earth would possess J.R. Smith to overplay Durant so dramatically as to give him unencumbered access to the rim?

— rob mahoney, SI.com, "Death by a Thousand Cuts: How Golden State Terrorized Cleveland at the Rim," 7 June 2018
But there’s no way to overplay the fact that a team of literal castoffs stormed through its very first NHL season and into the Stanley Cup Final.

— chris korman, For The Win, "We'll always remember the inexplicable and incomparable Golden Knights," 8 June 2018
Fromm’s production struggles mightily with the latter, with some scenes overplayed and some stiff, but the difficulty of establishing a consistent tone starts with the script.

— chris jones, chicagotribune.com, "'Bull in a China Shop': At Mount Holyoke, a remarkable woman changed education," 1 June 2018

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

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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OVERPLAY Defined for English Language Learners

overplay

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.