overestimate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to estimate at too high a value, amount, rate, or the like.
Don't overestimate the car's trade-in value.
-
to hold in too great esteem or to expect too much from.
Don't overestimate him—he's no smarter than you are.
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
- overestimation noun
Etymology
Origin of overestimate
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We always overestimate the speed at which these transitions disrupt existing industries.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
As Amara’s Law says, we overestimate a technology’s short-term impact and underestimate its long-term effects.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026
Armour's letter said that education was facing a gap of £250m, and he could not "overestimate the financial challenge we face in seeking to address our funding gap".
From BBC • Jan. 13, 2026
“Sometimes there’s an overestimate of voters’ desire to tax other people,” said the Tax Foundation’s Walczak.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 10, 2026
But the curse of knowledge ensures that most writers will overestimate how standard a term has become and how wide the community is that has learned it.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
