Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overact
That secret shakes Charlie’s love for his intended, messes with work, affects his performance in bed and prompts him to spiral out, overacting at every step.
—
Mark Kennedy, Boston Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
Adrien Brody can’t stop overacting in a commercial for TurboTax.
—Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026
On-screen, the speech’s prestige can overwhelm its existential subject matter, and the passage tends to get overacted.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2025
Snook and Lacy, who display such sharp instincts in their best work, seem to have been directed to overact; cameras freeze on their exaggeratedly bewildered or angry or devastated expressions, putting exclamation points at the end of too many scenes.
—Judy Berman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
His presence is fresh, empathetic, often hypnotic, and never overacted.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
One could easily be accused of overacting, of doing too much.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
The college student performers from the Hartt School aren’t encouraged to overact during the party scene anymore — no more drunk jokes or pratfalls.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Dec. 2024
Mark Kennedy, Boston Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
Adrien Brody can’t stop overacting in a commercial for TurboTax.
—Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026
On-screen, the speech’s prestige can overwhelm its existential subject matter, and the passage tends to get overacted.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2025
Snook and Lacy, who display such sharp instincts in their best work, seem to have been directed to overact; cameras freeze on their exaggeratedly bewildered or angry or devastated expressions, putting exclamation points at the end of too many scenes.
—Judy Berman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
His presence is fresh, empathetic, often hypnotic, and never overacted.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
One could easily be accused of overacting, of doing too much.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
The college student performers from the Hartt School aren’t encouraged to overact during the party scene anymore — no more drunk jokes or pratfalls.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overact
Verb
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YouTube as the new film school, YouTube as the new film festival, YouTube as the new music-video breeding ground — is to dramatically underplay it.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
31 May 2026
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However, because the artists were not of Mexican descent, Chicano music histories often overlook or underplay this era.—
Oliver Wang,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Campaigners, meanwhile, don’t want to overplay their hands.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
13 June 2026
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Try to keep him on the back line of defense and overplay the 3-point line to funnel to him.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Britain will use a similar model to Australia, which enacted a ban last December, the government said.—
Paul Sandle,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
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The industry argued that New York’s public nuisance law is preempted by the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, enacted by Congress in 2005.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
15 June 2026
Verb
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The statement accused Blake of acting out of retaliation for an incident that occurred earlier in the lacrosse season.—
Ryan Canfield OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
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If sung through onstage, the singer would have to act out a complete narrative.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
12 June 2026
Verb
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The undulating roofline imitates the Allegheny Mountains, and 38 steel columns create a canopy reminiscent of the region's forests, Prix Versailles says.—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
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As a 7-year-old, I’d entertain my father’s friends, at their weekly pickup game at a Bronx barn-house gymnasium, by imitating his game face—bottom lip jutting, eyes scowling.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Today, Margaret would be playacting her own massacre in active shooter drills at school.—
Petula Dvorak,
Washington Post,
1 May 2023
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Trixie advises Alma to playact highness to flummox E.B.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
18 Dec. 2021
Verb
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According to Variety and Puck, the film was originally set to dramatize Jackson being accused of abusing 13‑year‑old Jordan Chandler in 1993.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
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Astronomer and UFOlogist Jacques Vallée appears to shed additional light on Juan’s story, and dramatic effects sequences dramatize the emotional impact of his close encounter.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 June 2026
Verb
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This exactly matches the iOS schedule from last year, which means the iPhone release schedule is bang on target, for now at least, to mimic last year’s routine.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
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This neighborhood plan mimics ones used to eradicate the insects on islands.—
Maggie Penman,
Washington Post,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overact. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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