over|pay /oʊ və r pe I / (overpays , overpaying , overpaid )
1 VERB If you overpay someone, or if you overpay for something, you pay more than is necessary or reasonable. □ [V n] Management has to make sure it does not overpay its staff. □ [V + for ] The council is said to have been overpaying for repairs made by its housing department. □ [V n] The scheme will overpay some lawyers and underpay others. [Also V , V n to-inf]
2 → see also overpaid
over|play /oʊ və r ple I / (overplays , overplaying , overplayed )
1 VERB If you say that someone is overplaying something such as a problem, you mean that they are making it seem more important than it really is. □ [be V -ed] I think the historical factor is overplayed, that it really doesn't mean much.
2 PHRASE If someone overplays their hand , they act more confidently than they should because they believe that they are in a stronger position than they actually are. □ The United States has to be careful it doesn't overplay its hand.
over|popu|lat|ed /oʊ və r pɒ pjʊle I t I d/ ADJ If an area is overpopulated , there are problems because it has too many people living there. □ Environmentalists say Australia is already overpopulated.
over|popu|la|tion /oʊ və r pɒpjʊle I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT If there is a problem of overpopulation in an area, there are more people living there than can be supported properly. □ [+ in ] …young persons who are concerned about overpopulation in the world.
over|pow|er /oʊ və r paʊ ə r / (overpowers , overpowering , overpowered )
1 VERB If you overpower someone, you manage to take hold of and keep hold of them, although they struggle a lot. □ [V n] It took ten guardsmen to overpower him.
2 VERB If a feeling overpowers you, it suddenly affects you very strongly. □ [V n] A sudden dizziness overpowered him.
3 VERB In a sports match, when one team or player overpowers the other, they play much better than them and beat them easily. □ [V n] His team overpowered Scotland 38–18.
4 VERB If something such as a colour or flavour overpowers another colour or flavour, it is so strong that it makes the second one less noticeable. □ [V n] On fair skin, pale shades are delicate enough not to overpower your colouring.
over|pow|er|ing /oʊ və r paʊ ər I ŋ/
1 ADJ An overpowering feeling is so strong that you cannot resist it. □ …hard, cold, overpowering anger. □ The desire for revenge can be overpowering.
2 ADJ An overpowering smell or sound is so strong that you cannot smell or hear anything else. □ There was an overpowering smell of petrol.
3 ADJ An overpowering person makes other people feel uncomfortable because they have such a strong personality. □ Mrs Winter was large and somewhat overpowering.
over|priced /oʊ və r pra I st/ ADJ If you say that something is overpriced , you mean that you think it costs much more than it should. □ Any property which does not sell within six weeks is overpriced.
over|ran /oʊ və r ræ n/ Overran is the past tense of overrun .
over|rate /oʊ və r re I t/ (overrates , overrating , overrated ) also over-rate VERB If you say that something or someone is overrated , you mean that people have a higher opinion of them than they deserve. □ [be V -ed] More men are finding out that the joys of work have been overrated. □ [V n] If you consider him a miracle man, you're overrating him. ● over|rat|ed ADJ □ Life in the wild is vastly overrated.
over|reach /oʊ və r riː tʃ/ (overreaches , overreaching , overreached ) also over-reach VERB If you say that someone overreaches themselves , you mean that they fail at something because they are trying to do more than they are able to. □ [V pron-refl] The company had overreached itself and made unwise investments.
over|react /oʊ və r riæ kt/ (overreacts , overreacting , overreacted ) also over-react VERB If you say that someone overreacts to something, you mean that they have and show more of an emotion than is necessary or appropriate. □ [V ] Is the council right to be concerned, or is it overreacting? □ [V + to ] I overreact to anything sad. ● over|reac|tion /oʊ və r riæ kʃ ə n/ (overreactions ) N‑VAR □ This is actually an outrageous overreaction.
over|ride (overrides , overriding , overrode , overridden ) also over-ride The verb is pronounced /oʊ və r ra I d/. The noun is pronounced /oʊ və r ra I d/. 1 VERB If one thing in a situation overrides other things, it is more important than them. □ [V n] The welfare of a child should always override the wishes of its parents.
2 VERB If someone in authority overrides a person or their decisions, they cancel their decisions. □ [V n] The president vetoed the bill, and the Senate failed by a single vote to override his veto.
3 N‑COUNT An override is an attempt to cancel someone's decisions by using your authority over them or by gaining more votes than them in an election or contest. [AM ] □ The bill now goes to the House where an override vote is expected to fail.
over|rid|ing /oʊ və r ra I d I ŋ/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] In a particular situation, the overriding factor is the one that is the most important. □ My overriding concern is to raise the standards of state education.