overpromise

verb

over·​prom·​ise ˌō-vər-ˈprä-məs 

overpromised; overpromising

transitive + intransitive

: to promise more than is possible or realistic

Political candidates always overpromise or else the electorate won't bother to show up at their rallies.

—Michael Gomez

… received sharp criticism for overpromising and underperforming.

—Industry Week

Then a change in the Facebook algorithm punished click bait, which can tend to overpromise on what it links to. Steep traffic drops followed.

—Jim Rutenberg

To close a deal, bad vendors tend to overpromise features that they claim will be added down the line but never materialize.

—Michael Kan

Examples of overpromise in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The lesson for Slate is clear: don’t overpromise and underdeliver. —Utkarsh Sood, New Atlas, 13 May 2025

Eli Lilly doesn’t want to overpromise, get the stock higher on hype. —Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 May 2025

The root problem is that too many software platforms designed for the construction industry have overpromised and underdelivered, resulting in inefficiencies rather than improvements. —Michael Pink, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025

Those who purport to be able to do more are overpromising their services, experts say. —Rachel Hale, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overpromise

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize