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
The 34-year-old Argentine goalkeeper wasn’t overworked, as Rayados’ defensive shape only gave him 10 shots on target to deal with across the three contests, but his stops were crucial.
—
The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 28 June 2025
But Whitlock, acquired by the Red Sox from the New York Yankees in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft, has been badly overworked, as Red Sox starters have frequently made early exits.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
But overworking our existing crew is not the answer.
—Chicago Tribune, 23 June 2025
Business With bird flu cases on the rise, staff at California lab say they are overworked and burned out
Dec. 1, 2024
UC Davis spokesperson Bill Kisliuk declined to comment on the lawsuit’s specific allegations.
—Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for overwork
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The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 28 June 2025
But Whitlock, acquired by the Red Sox from the New York Yankees in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft, has been badly overworked, as Red Sox starters have frequently made early exits.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
But overworking our existing crew is not the answer.
—Chicago Tribune, 23 June 2025
Business With bird flu cases on the rise, staff at California lab say they are overworked and burned out
Dec. 1, 2024
UC Davis spokesperson Bill Kisliuk declined to comment on the lawsuit’s specific allegations.
—Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 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 30 Jun. 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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