overwork

verb

over·work | \ˌō-vər-ˈwərk

overworked; overworking; overworks

Definition of overwork

transitive verb

1 : to cause to work too hard, too long, or to exhaustion overworked the horses

2a : 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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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

As much as your back may be challenged at the moment, remember that your muscles are simply overworking, doing a temporary job of trying to support your spine. — Holly Lebowitz Rossi, Good Housekeeping, "What To Do Right After You Throw Out Your Back," 20 Jan. 2016 Add ice water gradually and form a ball; then, without overworking, knead until smooth. — Country Living, "Pecan Pie with Salted Egg Yolks," 28 Sep. 2010 The probation office is already overworked, Sullivan said Tuesday. — Chris Megerian, latimes.com, "Judge again delays sentencing for Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security advisor," 10 July 2018 Severe fatigue from overworking can also lead to hopelessness, a symptom of depression. — Fiza Pirani, ajc, "How workaholic women can avoid diabetes: Go home, study suggests," 5 July 2018 Overall, the bigger question Olson had was if such a project can be done in a tax incremental financing (TIF) district that is served by a fire station that is already overworked. — Erik S. Hanley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Franklin mayor blasts addition of senior housing to Ballpark Commons: 'It's the wrong facility in the wrong part of town'," 22 June 2018 Law enforcement unions say deputies are overworked and exhausted. — Maya Lau, latimes.com, "Sheriff McDonnell inherited a department rotted by corruption. His reform effort is a work in progress," 24 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 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

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.