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
Elsewhere, several elaborate comic setpieces feel strained and overworked, throwing ever more secondary figures and complications on screen to make up for a lack of underlying urgency and momentum.
—
Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 May 2025
Hadi relegates some striking political symbolism — mainly, fascinating omnipresent Saddam portraiture and slogans, enough to overwork and discourage Iraq’s future Shepard Faireys — at the level of world building.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 16 May 2025
Advertisement Advertisement People who were overworked showed changes in 17 brain regions compared to those who worked typical hours.
—Alice Park, Time, 16 May 2025
And the luck of it all … the fall revealed a hidden ailment with which he was born — a blockage in his left kidney, which could overwork his right kidney and lead to a rupture.
—Jason Quick, New York Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for overwork
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 May 2025
Hadi relegates some striking political symbolism — mainly, fascinating omnipresent Saddam portraiture and slogans, enough to overwork and discourage Iraq’s future Shepard Faireys — at the level of world building.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 16 May 2025
Advertisement Advertisement People who were overworked showed changes in 17 brain regions compared to those who worked typical hours.
—Alice Park, Time, 16 May 2025
And the luck of it all … the fall revealed a hidden ailment with which he was born — a blockage in his left kidney, which could overwork his right kidney and lead to a rupture.
—Jason Quick, New York Times, 15 May 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 25 May. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share