overwork

verb over·work \ ˌō-vər-ˈwərk \

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

—

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

Be careful not to overwork the dough, as this will result in dense scones).

— maya wilson, Alaska Dispatch News, "Move over, pumpkin spice – it’s time for maple everything," 20 Oct. 2017
The program’s inspectors, meanwhile, are often overworked and sometimes lack necessary technical expertise, the new report says, despite recent efforts to hire more staff and improve their training.

— kelly servick, Science | AAAS, "U.S. oversight of risky pathogen research has flaws, report finds," 31 Oct. 2017
United could now be forced into overworking their current midfield partnership in Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic as they're left short by the Englishman's absence, potentially leading to further injury worries.

— SI.com, "Man Utd Star Michael Carrick Picks up Mystery Illness as Mourinho Looks to Manage Depleted Squad," 30 Oct. 2017
There is some concern about players getting injured or overworked during the scrimmage.

— alicia delgallo, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Benny Feilhaber ‘shocked’ by U.S. men’s national team call-up," 3 Oct. 2017
The pending lawsuit by former player Madeline 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, "Lawyers' defense of Tom Jurich overlooks lacrosse lawsuit and accusations of negligence," 25 Oct. 2017
Third-year player Mario Hezonja sat out the evening practice to prevent overworking a knee that was sore throughout much of last season and part of this summer.

— josh robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "In search of homecourt advantage, Magic practice on their game court," 26 Sep. 2017
Without overworking dough, gently knead in bowl until mixture just comes together.

— mary g. pepitone, kansascity, "Tangy lime tart gets a healthy boost from fresh berries," 26 Sep. 2017
Sometimes exhausted, other times overworked, Dave found that a dinner out at a restaurant became more than fuel.

— lori nickel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Chin Up: Learn how to reward, relax and remove ourselves without turning to food, alcohol," 11 Sep. 2017

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

See Words from the same year

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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

Learn More about overwork

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