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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As a result, regulatory approaches that overemphasize capabilities and pre-deployment testing will struggle to prevent the harms that emerge in real-world use.—
Ion Stoica,
Fortune,
27 May 2026
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Opponents of these changes say the standards lack perspectives from people of color globally and overemphasize the role Christianity played in the founding of the country.—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2026
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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So, be careful, take it slow and don't overdo it.—
Brianne Tracy,
PEOPLE,
11 Dec. 2025
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Idris plays the hungry newcomer without overdoing it, and Pitt brings a looseness that works for a driver stepping back into chaos.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
9 Dec. 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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That means any moves up or down following the IPO could be exaggerated as passive investors are forced to chase the stock, raising the volatility of the overall index.—
Sarah Min,Deena Zaidi,
CNBC,
11 June 2026
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This quality has been perverted and exaggerated in Maddie’s Secret.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
11 June 2026
Verb
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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
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The dilemma gained more urgency when new projections this month showed that the Social Security trust fund will run out of money sooner than previously thought, meaning benefits would face a 22% cut by 2032 unless adjustments are enacted.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Cheese wields a kind of power over the Italian imagination that cannot be overstated.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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The future of our financial system depends on moving beyond siloed solutions toward structural solutions that address systemic undervaluation and overstated risk.—
Nina Seega,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Throughout, the show’s trademark surreality and sense of play allowed Sweeney to act out massive emotional swings and to edge into the absurd, as in a sequence where Cassie strides through Los Angeles, towering over buildings and dominating the men below.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
10 June 2026
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Lawmakers must resist the temptation to act out of fear to block the growth of AI and its still largely unknown benefits.—
Jessica Melugin,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overplay. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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