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
Instead of overworking or avoiding tasks, focus on setting realistic expectations.
—
Luciana Paulise, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Other personnel cuts to departments like the National Institute of Mental Health, part of NIH, are slowing down the process of getting grants approved, Mandell says, because staff are overworked and unable to process the grants as quickly as usual.
—Alana Semuels, Time, 22 Apr. 2025
Having poor posture — with slumped shoulders, a rounded back and a forward head position — stems from muscular imbalances, in which some muscles are overworked and tight while others are underused and weak.
—Dana Santas, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025
Mikal Bridges has a wild solution designed to prevent the Knicks from overworking their starters.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overwork
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Luciana Paulise, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Other personnel cuts to departments like the National Institute of Mental Health, part of NIH, are slowing down the process of getting grants approved, Mandell says, because staff are overworked and unable to process the grants as quickly as usual.
—Alana Semuels, Time, 22 Apr. 2025
Having poor posture — with slumped shoulders, a rounded back and a forward head position — stems from muscular imbalances, in which some muscles are overworked and tight while others are underused and weak.
—Dana Santas, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025
Mikal Bridges has a wild solution designed to prevent the Knicks from overworking their starters.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 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 5 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
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