overpromise
verb
over·prom·ise
ˌō-vər-ˈprä-məs 
overpromised; overpromising
: 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
Michael Gomez… received sharp criticism for overpromising and underperforming.—Industry Week
Industry WeekThen 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
Jim RutenbergTo close a deal, bad vendors tend to overpromise features that they claim will be added down the line but never materialize.—Michael Kan
Michael KanExamples of overpromise in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On the other hand, another campaign boasted 500% ROI in the short term but churned customers quickly due to overpromising messaging.
—Deepak Bansal, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Those who purport to be able to do more may be overpromising their services and taking advantage of victims’ desperation and fear, says Mike Prado at the Department of Homeland Security's Cyber Crimes Center.
—Rachel Hale, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
The bigger problem for Gore, however, was that by attempting to tackle a gargantuan problem like government inefficiency through piecemeal reforms and voluntary retirements, some felt the administration had overpromised.
—Jacob Bruggeman & Casey Eilbert / Made By History, TIME, 3 Mar. 2025
And avoid overpromising returns or offering unrealistic expectations—transparency and education are key to building trust.
—Nick Green, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overpromise
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Deepak Bansal, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Those who purport to be able to do more may be overpromising their services and taking advantage of victims’ desperation and fear, says Mike Prado at the Department of Homeland Security's Cyber Crimes Center.
—Rachel Hale, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
The bigger problem for Gore, however, was that by attempting to tackle a gargantuan problem like government inefficiency through piecemeal reforms and voluntary retirements, some felt the administration had overpromised.
—Jacob Bruggeman & Casey Eilbert / Made By History, TIME, 3 Mar. 2025
And avoid overpromising returns or offering unrealistic expectations—transparency and education are key to building trust.
—Nick Green, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overpromise
Cite this Entry
“Overpromise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overpromise. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share