overwork

verb over·work \ ˌō-vər-ˈwərk \

Updated on: 20 May 2018

Definition of overwork

transitive verb

1 : to cause to work too hard, too long, or to exhaustion

overworked the horses

2 a : to work too much on

overwork bread dough

b : to make excessive use of

overworked tunes

intransitive verb

: to work too much or too long : overdo

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overwork

noun

See overwork defined for English-language learners

See overwork defined for kids

Examples of overwork in a Sentence

The whole crew seemed exhausted, probably from overworking.
The captain routinely overworked the crew.
He overworks the melody in the song.
If you overwork the dough, the bread will be tough.

Recent Examples of overwork from the Web

The best way to keep a horse mentally stable is not to overwork him, said Shug McGaughey, 67, the Hall of Fame trainer of Orb, the 2013 Kentucky Derby winner.

— david gendelman, New York Times, "How to Prepare a Horse for the Preakness," 12 May 2018
And lawsuits filed against his companies — backed up by federal trucking and labor records — present a picture of a boss who has overworked and underpaid employees.

— Washington Post, "Business record, rhetoric of Indiana candidate don’t line up," 2 May 2018
The rankings can help identify schools with experienced teachers who aren't overworked by having too many students.

— fernando ramirez, Houston Chronicle, "Houston high schools with the best teachers," 24 Jan. 2018
In the suit, Beck alleges she was hospitalized after lacrosse staff forced her to overwork herself during a conditioning activity and athletics personnel failed to provide satisfactory medical care.

— danielle lerner, The Courier-Journal, "Former Louisville lacrosse player settles with U of L Physicians as lawsuit vs. ex-coach continues," 19 Jan. 2018
The goal is always to avoid provoking and overworking the bees.

— rebecca straus, Good Housekeeping, "6 Things You Need To Know About Organic Beekeeping Before Starting A Backyard Hive," 16 Feb. 2017
Mash the potatoes until smooth, taking care not to overwork them.

— Country Living, "Tom's Perfect Mashed Potatoes," 12 Jan. 2012
And lawsuits filed against his companies — backed up by federal trucking and labor records — present a picture of a boss who has overworked and underpaid employees.

— Washington Post, "Business record, rhetoric of Indiana candidate don’t line up," 2 May 2018
And lawsuits filed against his companies — backed up by federal trucking and labor records — present a picture of a boss who has overworked and underpaid employees.

— brian slodysko, Indianapolis Star, "Senate candidate Mike Braun's rhetoric, business record don't line up," 1 May 2018

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

First Known Use of overwork

1530

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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OVERWORK Defined for English Language Learners

overwork

verb

Definition of overwork for English Language Learners

: to work too hard
: to use (something) too much or too often
: to work on (something) too much

OVERWORK Defined for Kids

overwork

verb over·work \ ˌō-vər-ˈwərk \

Definition of overwork for Students

overworked; overworking

1 : to work or cause to work too much or too hard

The captain overworked the crew.

2 : to use too much or too often

overworked phrases

overwork

noun

Definition of overwork for Students

: too much work They were exhausted from overwork.

Medical Dictionary

overwork

transitive verb over·work \ ˌō-vər-ˈwərk \

medical Definition of overwork

: to cause to work too hard, too long, or to exhaustion

intransitive verb

: to work too much or too long

—

overwork

noun

Learn More about overwork

See words that rhyme with overwork Spanish Central: Translation of overwork Nglish: Translation of overwork for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of overwork for Arabic speakers

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overwork

Definition of overwork

overwork

Examples of overwork in a Sentence

Recent Examples of overwork from the Web

First Known Use of overwork

OVERWORK Defined for English Language Learners

overwork

Definition of overwork for English Language Learners

OVERWORK Defined for Kids

overwork

Definition of overwork for Students

overwork

Definition of overwork for Students

Medical Dictionary

overwork

medical Definition of overwork

overwork

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