1
as in to overemphasize
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Recent Examples of overplay
But overplaying concerns about pesticides or additives does little more than discredit the food system writ large and suggest women find other solutions that may not be as feasible, affordable, or even safe.
—
Erica Sloan, SELF, 10 June 2025
An optimistic view of the confrontation would be that both sides responded with appropriate and measured retaliation without overplaying their hands.
—Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 23 May 2025
Schmidt’s one-timer from the top of the right circle cleanly beat Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who overplayed the near post.
—Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2025
Having a semblance of moderated AI regulations and laws that are flexible and not crushing is potentially worth considering, but the inherent nature of any such encumbrances is that they will be overplayed and shut down AI innovation.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overplay
Erica Sloan, SELF, 10 June 2025
An optimistic view of the confrontation would be that both sides responded with appropriate and measured retaliation without overplaying their hands.
—Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 23 May 2025
Schmidt’s one-timer from the top of the right circle cleanly beat Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who overplayed the near post.
—Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2025
Having a semblance of moderated AI regulations and laws that are flexible and not crushing is potentially worth considering, but the inherent nature of any such encumbrances is that they will be overplayed and shut down AI innovation.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overplay
Verb
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The end of the post–Cold War era has exposed the shortcomings of this approach, which overemphasized collective self-defense commitments and neglected the deeper economic, technological, and strategic ties that are increasingly salient in modern geopolitics.—
KURT M. CAMPBELL,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Sep. 2025
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Without proper incentive alignment, leaders and employees will rationally overemphasize the measurable, short-term benefits and underinvest in the intangible, long-term enablers — reproducing the IT productivity paradox.—
Anjana Susarla,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
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At one point, MacLachlan orchestrates a heart-stopping moment of reckoning for Bill and Tammy, written with a sudden, cathartic directness—a break in their usual language of deferential hesitations—which the actors underplay to perfection.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 2025
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None of this is to underplay the value of this agreement to Paramount’s streaming business.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The worst part of this tax is that Illinois Democrats, in their desperation for more revenue, ended up encouraging more casual bettors to overdo it and get into financial trouble.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
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But the actor slips into the role flawlessly (with the help of good makeup), never overdoing it and adding a fair amount of gravitas to the constantly shifting scenery.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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One could easily be accused of overacting, of doing too much.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2025
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There are few instances of someone overacting more in a movie, unnecessarily adding an undercurrent of murderous, jokey psychotic to an already bizarre creation.—
Mark Kennedy,
Boston Herald,
13 Dec. 2024
Verb
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In early 2025, the stock fell nearly 57% from February to April in the wake of a short-seller report that alleged the company had exaggerated its e-commerce performance and breached service terms.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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This performative solidarity was not appreciated by Saudi commentators who argued Egypt exaggerated the seriousness of Netanyahu's comments in a bid to drag Saudi Arabia in a confrontation with the Israelis for political reasons.—
Khaled Hassan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Congress had enacted byzantine eligibility requirements for disability and Supplemental Security Income benefits, forcing the agency to expend huge amounts of time and money running those programs.—
Eli Hager,
ProPublica,
8 Sep. 2025
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Chérizier, 48, who’s been actively meeting with former rivals, may be trying to duplicate the conditions in Carrefour, a sprawling suburb south of the capital where gangs now settle disputes, enact rules and profit from residents’ commercial activities.—
Johnny Fils-Aimé,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Not to overstate things — plenty of people are still watching Colorado.—
Sam Settleman,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
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Though, Jones may have overstated the Dolphins' caliber just a little.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Blanc specifically acts out moments from John Dickson Carr's The Hollow Man to illustrate the impossibility of the crime.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Time,
8 Sep. 2025
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His brittle mum Heather (a heartbreaking and frustrating Shirley Henderson) is barely holding things together as is, and then John starts, well, acting out?—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overplay. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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