overwork

verb

over·​work ˌō-vər-ˈwərk 

overworked; overworking; overworks

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

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

Walking or running uphill, or on uneven or hard surfaces, can also overwork the tibialis anterior, triggering shin tightness and pain. —Jenny McCoy, SELF, 3 Sep. 2025

Its national accreditations limit how many autopsies each of those pathologists can do — a rule that’s designed to help keep the doctors from being overworked and error-prone but causes backlogs when there’s too much demand. —Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 26 Aug. 2025

Gently knead together any scraps, being careful not to overwork the dough. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Aug. 2025

This can happen in different ways for everyone, say binge-watching something, scrolling endlessly, overworking or distracting yourself in other ways. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for overwork

• bodywork
• handiwork
• ironwork
• latticework
• masterwork
• metalwork
• needlework
• openwork
• paperwork
• subnetwork
• artwork
• beadwork

Kids 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

intransitive verb

: to work too much or too long

overwork noun