Meaning

(transitive) To make (someone or something) work too hard..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To make (someone or something) work too hard.
2. (intransitive) To work too hard.
3. (transitive) To fill too full of work; to crowd with labour.
4. (transitive) To decorate all over.
5. A superstructure.
6. Excessive work.

Example Sentences

to overwork a horse

For some years locomotives and coaches have been overworked and undermaintained to a degree without precedent in British railway history, and the leeway in maintenance now to be made up is very great.

The cracking sound, he explained, as far as I, a non-plumber, could understand, was the sound of the overworked, undermaintained and weirdly installed heating unit’s core rupturing and spilling water into the basement.

If you live in Washington D.C., Houston or Atlanta, it might be time to take a vacation. Those three cities, followed by Seattle and Chicago, are the most overworked cities in the United States, according to a study released by the mobile technology company Kisi this past week.

It turns out that overworking your brain with either physical or mental exercise may lower your ability to delay self-gratification.

One of China’s most prominent e-commerce companies is facing intense public backlash over allegations that it overworks its employees.

My days with toil are overwrought.

Various disordered conditions consequent upon overwork, which are characteristic of modern civilisation.

Word Forms

• overworks
• overworking
• overworked
• overwrought

Synonyms for overwork

Related Words

When Should You Use Overwork?

Use overwork when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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