overplay
verb
over·play
ˌō-vər-ˈplā 
overplayed; overplaying; overplays
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)
: to exaggerate a part or effect
Examples of overplay in a Sentence
The network news overplayed the story just to get good ratings.
He overplayed the death scene.
Recent Examples on the Web
But some of your lieutenants have overplayed their hands in places like Minneapolis.
—
David Hadley, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
Campbell is indispensable here and a solid actor who never overplays the terror but comes loaded for bear when her daughter inherits the curse of Ghostface.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2026
The production, though, has some issues, some of which flow from a tendency of some in this cast to overplay in this very intimate house, arranged by director Hallie Gordon very intimately.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
Here’s a great example from a game earlier in the season against the Philadelphia 76ers, when Jamal Shead gets beaten backdoor after purposely overplaying Tyrese Maxey to reject a handoff.
—Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overplay
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David Hadley, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
Campbell is indispensable here and a solid actor who never overplays the terror but comes loaded for bear when her daughter inherits the curse of Ghostface.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2026
The production, though, has some issues, some of which flow from a tendency of some in this cast to overplay in this very intimate house, arranged by director Hallie Gordon very intimately.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
Here’s a great example from a game earlier in the season against the Philadelphia 76ers, when Jamal Shead gets beaten backdoor after purposely overplaying Tyrese Maxey to reject a handoff.
—Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overplay
Cite this Entry
“Overplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overplay. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
overplay
verb
over·play
ˌō-vər-ˈplā
1
: exaggerate, overemphasize
newspapers overplayed the story
2
: to rely too much on the strength of
overplayed my hand and lost
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