overwork
verb
over·work
ˌō-vər-ˈwərk 
overworked; overworking; overworks
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
: to work too much or too long : overdo
overwork
noun
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 on the Web
Animal caretakers—who might be tasked with counting—already tend to be overworked.
—
Melanie D.g. Kaplan, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2025
Some 13,000 air traffic controllers were forced to work without pay for more than a month, overstretching already overworked and understaffed air traffic controllers.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 13 Nov. 2025
Part of that is on the coaching staff and management, however, as he has been overworked by starting 80 percent of the Leafs’ first 15 games.
—James Mirtle, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Two Weeks Notice Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock star as charming and undeniably self-absorbed millionaire George Wade and his overworked, underappreciated, multi-tasking chief counsel, Lucy Kelson.
—Caitlin White, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overwork
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Melanie D.g. Kaplan, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2025
Some 13,000 air traffic controllers were forced to work without pay for more than a month, overstretching already overworked and understaffed air traffic controllers.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 13 Nov. 2025
Part of that is on the coaching staff and management, however, as he has been overworked by starting 80 percent of the Leafs’ first 15 games.
—James Mirtle, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Two Weeks Notice Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock star as charming and undeniably self-absorbed millionaire George Wade and his overworked, underappreciated, multi-tasking chief counsel, Lucy Kelson.
—Caitlin White, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overwork
Cite this Entry
“Overwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overwork. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
overwork
verb
over·work
-ˈwərk
1
: to work or cause to work too hard or long
overworked the crew
2
: to use too much
overworked phrases
overwork
noun
Medical Definition
overwork
transitive verb
over·work
ˌō-vər-ˈwərk
: to cause to work too hard, too long, or to exhaustion
: to work too much or too long
overwork
noun
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