1
as in to overemphasize
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Recent Examples of overplay
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
Marlon takes on the guise of a thug named Roach and of course overplays the role.
—Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 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
Fortunately this is a terrific cast that also avoids overplaying the melodramatic undertones here, keeping it believably human all the way.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overplay
Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2025
Marlon takes on the guise of a thug named Roach and of course overplays the role.
—Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 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
Fortunately this is a terrific cast that also avoids overplaying the melodramatic undertones here, keeping it believably human all the way.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overplay
Verb
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Aspirational Luxury Falls In 2025, the luxury market is looking down the barrel at its first major slowdown in 15 years, excepting the Covid years, and BCG puts much of the blame on brands’ overemphasizing the aspirational consumer segment.—
Pamela N. Danziger,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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Thursday’s announcement that Anna Wintour would be stepping away from her day-to-day duties at American Vogue elicited a frenzy rarely seen in media news these days — though the headlines in many cases overemphasized the idea of a departure versus the realignment of her role at Condé Nast.—
Laurie Brookins,
HollywoodReporter,
27 June 2025
Verb
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To say that there is no love lost between the two sides would be to underplay the depth of feeling here.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
9 June 2025
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The Takacs was already a fine quartet, with a lyrical, emotionally frank sensibility that rarely underplayed the character of a phrase.—
David Allen Chet Strange,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Don’t overdo it; a very small amount of concealer is more than enough.—
Laura Solla,
Vogue,
1 July 2025
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Cooper, who is starring alongside Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie as Young Heathcliff in the upcoming feature adaptation of Wuthering Heights, has his mock exams coming up and is lucky to have friends that aren’t overdoing it.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
11 June 2025
Verb
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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
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One could easily be accused of overacting, of doing too much.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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And the singer is certainly not exaggerating: hopping onto the guests-only ferry out to Palomino Island feels like moving from paradise to heaven itself.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
26 July 2025
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Other Reddit users are offering their takes, with many agreeing that the woman might be exaggerating her symptoms.—
Virginia Chamlee,
People.com,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Who won Power of Veto on ‘Big Brother’? Keanu enacted his power, which allowed a former houseguest to come in and play in the Power of Veto competition for him.—
David Wysong,
The Enquirer,
24 July 2025
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The proposal remains speculative, with no plans or legislation enacted since then.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
23 July 2025
Verb
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The strategic importance of this is hard to overstate.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
28 July 2025
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Since then, researchers and doctors have determined the cancer risk was overstated.—
Katia Riddle,
NPR,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Restless legs syndrome, a condition characterized by an urge to move the legs, is common in Parkinson's disease, as is REM sleep disorder, a condition in which people act out their dreams while sleeping.—
Heidi Moawad,
Verywell Health,
28 July 2025
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Emerging research suggests that acting out dreams might also predict Parkinson’s disease.—
Lauren J. Young,
Scientific American,
22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overplay. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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