oversell

verb

over·​sell ˌō-vər-ˈsel 

oversold ˌō-vər-ˈsōld  ; overselling

transitive verb

1

a

: to sell too much or too many to

b

: to sell too much or too many of

2

: to make excessive claims for

oversell

ˈō-vər-ˌsel 

noun

Examples of oversell in a Sentence

Hotels routinely oversell their rooms, expecting a small percentage of no-shows.

Don't oversell yourself in the job interview.

The salesman oversold the features on the new model.

Recent Examples on the Web

On the other hand, a reading below 30 indicates that a stock is oversold and may soon be due for a potential rebound. —Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 11 Apr. 2026

What’s still missing from the AI-at-work story The MIT team is careful not to oversell its own findings. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2026

The coverage tends to split into two camps: content that oversells the trend or content that dismisses it entirely. —Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026

But just as yesterday’s cheerleaders oversold, today’s skeptics go overboard in sapping Americans’ confidence. —Gil Troy, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for oversell

• bagatelle
• caravel
• carousel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele
• commonweal
• decibel
• demoiselle
• fontanelle
• infidel
• isabel

Kids Definition

oversell

verb

over·​sell ˌō-vər-ˈsel 

oversold -ˈsōld  ; overselling

: to sell too much to or of