1
as in to overemphasize
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Recent Examples of overplay
And powerful people tend to overplay their hands.
—
Brent Lang, Variety, 30 Dec. 2025
Advertisement China might overplay its hand—that remains a real danger.
—Kerry Brown, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
But Barkley suggested the players should be careful to not overplay their hand.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2025
While there are risks for Democrats to overplay their hand in several blue states, members of the party warn there’s risk for their GOP counterparts in red states just the same.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overplay
Brent Lang, Variety, 30 Dec. 2025
Advertisement China might overplay its hand—that remains a real danger.
—Kerry Brown, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
But Barkley suggested the players should be careful to not overplay their hand.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2025
While there are risks for Democrats to overplay their hand in several blue states, members of the party warn there’s risk for their GOP counterparts in red states just the same.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overplay
Verb
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Questions at debates and forums have tended to overemphasize who’s giving what to whom over other important matters in this election.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
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If women ski as long as the men do and don’t do it as quickly, that ratio gets out of whack and overemphasizes skiing for the women and not for the men.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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However, testimony also revealed text messages and emails between Gray and his supervisors that prosecutors say appeared to underplay the severity of the incident on the day of the shooting.—
Skyler Henry,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
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Eric McDaniel, a professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin, said the post diverged from the manner in which previous administrations have characterized papal disagreements, often underplaying dissent but stopping short of falsely implying agreement.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The actor says creating Dutton's persona reflects what Grimes liked watching while growing up, namely actors who told a story without overdoing it, with still excellence, like Paul Newman.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
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These botanicals work alongside modern actives such as salicylic acid and probiotics, helping keep buildup in check without overdoing it.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Adrien Brody can’t stop overacting in a commercial for TurboTax.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
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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
Verb
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Others say those concerns are being exaggerated so those residents can get their way.—
Spencer Wilson,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
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Historically, some doctors have dismissed these differences as women exaggerating their pain or being unable to tolerate the same discomfort as men.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But if the owners and players refuse to enact real reform, the expiration of a collective-bargaining agreement in December could lead not only to a lockout and lost games next year but a decline in the popularity and competitiveness of the national pastime itself.—
Paul Bledsoe,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Mar. 2026
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The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has selected a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) to enact the law, which mandates that producers of textiles and apparel pay into a system to keep waste out of landfills.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Because assets are disclosed in broad ranges, Brooks says the filing overstates his family’s financial position.—
Julia Terruso,
Time,
23 Feb. 2026
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Geoffrey Propheter, associate professor at the University of Colorado in Denver who has studied stadium subsidies, warned that politicians often understate the costs and overstate the benefits of such projects.—
Robert McCoppin,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Fleming acts out each detail with gusto, and this full sensory barrage earns him his loudest round of applause yet.—
John Roy,
Vulture,
19 Feb. 2026
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Emotional humans acting out conflicts will never be able to operate a society that values life, liberty and the pursuit of universal happiness.—
Roger Van Zanen,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overplay. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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