overoperate

verb

over·​op·​er·​ate ˌō-vər-ˈä-pə-ˌrāt 

-ˈä-ˌprāt

overoperated; overoperating

transitive + intransitive

: to perform surgery on someone or something unnecessarily or to an excessive and often harmful degree

questioned whether the hospital's policies encouraged surgeons to overoperate

overoperate a knee problem

The patients, of course, want significant rejuvenation …. They want to look "young, not done," "rejuvenated and not overoperated."

—Steven B. Hopping

Word History

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above