overplay

verb

over·​play ˌō-vər-ˈplā 

overplayed; overplaying; overplays

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

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

Netanyahu, who had carried out a string of successful strikes in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran, appeared to have overplayed his hand this time. —Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025

Smartly, Demna hasn’t overplayed his hand. —Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2025

An impressive defensive coach, he has occasionally been criticized for a certain regular season inflexibility in his rotations and overplaying his best contributors. —Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025

Did the Nexstar and Sinclair station groups overplay their hands by aggressively taking on Disney this week? —Michael Schneider, Variety, 20 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1767, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing overplay

• overplay one's cards
• overplay one's hand

Rhymes for overplay

• aaa
• adonais
• alleyway
• alumnae
• anime
• anyway
• arete
• attache
• baa
• beaujolais
• bouvier
• breakaway

Kids 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