overwork

verb

over·​work ˌō-vər-ˈwərk How to pronounce overwork (audio)
overworked; overworking; overworks

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: 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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Parents are overworked, overwhelmed, and constantly concerned about the well-being of their children, so much so that their own well-being tanks. Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 24 Oct. 2024 Advertisement Concern: Bottom of the rotation (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) To make sure the bullpen isn’t overworked, the Dodgers will need Walker Buehler and Landon Knack to rise to the occasion. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2024 Played by David Thewlis, Hades is tired and overworked, even falling asleep during a conversation with Zeus. Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2024 Monitor work hours to ensure employees aren’t chronically overworking Effective workload management is essential to protecting employee mental health. Caroline Castrillon, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for overwork 

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of overwork was in 1530

Dictionary Entries Near overwork

Cite this Entry

“Overwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overwork. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

overwork

verb
over·​work -ˈwərk How to pronounce overwork (audio)
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 How to pronounce overwork (audio)
: to cause to work too hard, too long, or to exhaustion

intransitive verb

: to work too much or too long
overwork noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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