overwork

over·work | \ ˌō-vər-ˈwərk

How to pronounce overwork (audio)

\

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 Preferably with gloves on, fold the ingredients and mix well, but don’t overwork the mixture. — Paul Stephen, ExpressNews.com, "Recipe: Doug Scheiding’s Smoked Meatloaf," 13 May 2020 The meat is mixed by hand with egg, chopped onion, parsley, salt, and a splash of milk, taking care not to overwork the meat. — TheWeek, "Traveling across Belgium to build a better meatball," 2 Feb. 2020 Cut in half and gently shape into two three-by-six-inch loaves (do not overwork the dough). — Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, "Dollywood Has the Best Cinnamon Bread in America — and We Have the Official Recipe," 24 Apr. 2020 You may be stressed and overworked, but chances are your boss feels that way too. — Marshall Bright, refinery29.com, "How To Negotiate With Your Boss Via Zoom," 17 Apr. 2020 We are hardwired to always be doing something; to be over-scheduled and overworked. — Jessica Zucker, Marie Claire, "Pregnant Women Are Wondering: Should I Have a Home Birth?," 9 Apr. 2020 The Rams in 2019 made a more concerted effort to avoid overworking Gurley early in the year. — Mike Jones, USA TODAY, "Opinion: Todd Gurley's release serves as painful reminder of the cruel and brutal life of an NFL running back," 19 Mar. 2020 And in February, Atlas pilot crashed an Amazon Air flight, killing all three of its occupants, which some have suggested was linked to its staff being overworked. — Amrita Khalid, Quartz, "Amazon is struggling to hold on to the pilots who ship your packages," 7 Dec. 2019 But the shortening in this recipe makes for a forgiving, pliable dough that resists overworking while coming together more easily than an all-butter crust. — Saveur Editors, Saveur, "Here is the Easiest Pie You’ll Ever Make," 5 Apr. 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.

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Last Updated

19 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Overwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overwork. Accessed 4 Jun. 2020.

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More Definitions for overwork

overwork

verb

English Language Learners Definition of overwork

: to work too hard

: to use (something) too much or too often

: to work on (something) too much

See the full definition for overwork in the English Language Learners Dictionary

overwork

over·work | \ ˌō-vər-ˈwərk

\

overworked; overworking

Kids Definition of overwork

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

Kids Definition of overwork (Entry 2 of 2)

: too much work They were exhausted from overwork.

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

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