overact

Definition of overactnext

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of overact 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 See All Example Sentences for overact
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overact
Verb
  • Hollywood depictions tend to severely underplay the intensity of alcoholic consumption in that era.
    — Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026
  • On the other hand, its artistic approach and wider story arc underplay the horror of WW1 combat.
    — Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Verb
  • Still, privately, government officials and business leaders told Semafor that South Africa would not overplay its hand by making any attempt to withhold access to these metals; PGMs make up more than a third of its exports to the US.
    — Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The brothers pepper in POV shots of the climbers to literally put the audience in their shoes, but don’t overplay their hand, maintaining palpable reality even when the challenges mount to comical levels.
    — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • People who had already turned 55 when the law was enacted also were given until August 2021 to file lawsuits, no matter when the alleged abuse occurred.
    — John Hanna, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
  • In the same era, Democrats in Congress enacted a raft of social programs that would become part of the language, such as Medicare and Medicaid.
    — Ron Elving, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • She was thrown right into the mix, acting out a meet-cute with Montana Jordan’s Georgie Cooper that culminated with a kiss.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Oct. 2026
  • With the final credits barely up, Musk is acting out exactly that blueprint.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Criminals can imitate those messages to create panic and lure people toward fake login pages.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Musks imitate the feeling of a luxe fabric, soft and skin-like, as a fresh set of Frette bedsheets.
    — Loren Savini, Allure, 27 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Today, Margaret would be playacting her own massacre in active shooter drills at school.
    — Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 1 May 2023
  • Trump’s modus, as ever, was to playact; his game has always been improv.
    — Joe Klein, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2023
Verb
  • Cooke does his best to dramatize these origins, often through dry humor, but the personalities involved don’t quite rise to the level of an Aaron Sorkin drama.
    — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
  • When the third act slows down to dramatize the hours of Altman’s ouster from OpenAI, Guadagnino has almost no way of generating the sort of ice-blooded intrigue that runs in Fincher’s veins.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Mounjaro and Zepbound, also made by Eli Lilly, mimic the effects of GLP-1 as well as GIP, a type of hormone that helps regulate blood sugar by stimulating insulin.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Later, a young woman in a black dress, mimicking what Helena wears on screen, makes an entrance and heads straight to the front to take photos with the casket and flower arrangements that re-create the scene.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Overact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overact. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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