overwork
verb
over·work
ˌō-vər-ˈwərk 
overworked; overworking; overworks
1
: to cause to work too hard, too long, or to exhaustion
overworked the horses
2
a
: to work too much on
overwork bread dough
b
: to make excessive use of
overworked tunes
: to work too much or too long : overdo
overwork
noun
Examples of overwork in a Sentence
The whole crew seemed exhausted, probably from overworking.
The captain routinely overworked the crew.
He overworks the melody in the song.
If you overwork the dough, the bread will be tough.
Recent Examples on the Web
Last month, data from FIFPro and Football benchmark suggested players headed to the Club World Cup would be among the most overworked.
—
Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 8 May 2025
Being constantly under stress can essentially overwork certain parts of the brain.
—Darlingtina Esiaka, The Conversation, 8 May 2025
The team’s bullpen, quite simply, has been overworked through the first month-plus of the year, leading the majors by a wide margin with 157 innings pitched.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2025
Sports bras that are too restrictive could overwork back muscles and limit breathing.
—Julia Ries, Health, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for overwork
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Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 8 May 2025
Being constantly under stress can essentially overwork certain parts of the brain.
—Darlingtina Esiaka, The Conversation, 8 May 2025
The team’s bullpen, quite simply, has been overworked through the first month-plus of the year, leading the majors by a wide margin with 157 innings pitched.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2025
Sports bras that are too restrictive could overwork back muscles and limit breathing.
—Julia Ries, Health, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for overwork
Cite this Entry
“Overwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overwork. Accessed 16 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
overwork
verb
over·work
-ˈwərk
1
: to work or cause to work too hard or long
overworked the crew
2
: to use too much
overworked phrases
overwork
noun
Medical Definition
overwork
transitive verb
over·work
ˌō-vər-ˈwərk
: to cause to work too hard, too long, or to exhaustion
: to work too much or too long
overwork
noun
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