overwork

verb

over·​work ˌō-vər-ˈwərk 

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

But hospital social workers are often overworked, said Kylie Haines, who manages a program for pregnant women with opioid use disorder at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, one of the top maternity teaching hospitals in the nation. —Shoshana Walter, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024

Stores are crowded and sales associates are overworked, heightening the risk of slow service, depleted inventory and frustrated customers. —Joe Arrage, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024

Don't overmix: When mixing additional ingredients into the potatoes, avoid overworking them, which could cause a gummy result. —Stacey Ballis, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2024

Such conditions can lead to situations where an unscrupulous employer overworks their laborers or withholds pay, for instance. —Frey Lindsay, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids 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

intransitive verb

: to work too much or too long

overwork noun