Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To present (a dramatic role, for example) in an exaggerated manner.
- intransitive verb To emphasize or stress unduly.
- intransitive verb To overestimate the strength of (one's holding or position) with resulting defeat.
- intransitive verb Sports To hit (a golf ball) beyond the green.
- intransitive verb To overdo a role or an effect.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In any duplicate card-game, especially bridge and whist, the play of a hand which has already been played at another table and by other players; in memory duplicate, the play of a hand by north and south which was originally held and played by east and west.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb intransitive and (
transitive ) Tooverdo oroveract one's effect or role. - verb transitive To
present something in a manner moredramatic than necessary. - verb transitive To
overestimate one's strength in a game or event, which ultimately may end in a defeat. - verb transitive, golf To accidentally hit (one's
golf ball ) beyond "thegreen ".
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb exaggerate one's acting
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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I'm sorry, how exactly did Sen. Obama "overplay" Gov.
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I think we need to be careful not to overplay the Cali vid
*How* much trouble is ACORN in right now? - Moe_Lane’s blog - RedState
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I don't want to overplay these new American Service Center Mercedes ads, starring Bruce Boudreau (and, in one case, Ryan Zimmerman).
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Ministers would therefore be extremely unwise to overplay their hand.
Public sector pensions: after the strike, the settlement | Editorial
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I don't want to overplay these new American Service Center Mercedes ads, starring Ryan Zimmerman (and, in one case, Bruce Boudreau).
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"It's OK sometimes to overplay or overwork, but you have to recognize what you've done," Edmunds says.
Detailed schedule may help Kathy Standage fit in life issues
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Or the loser would become a winner and overplay his hand until he's a complete cad, before reconnecting with his ex-, which turns him back into his former sweet self.
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By and large, the actors terribly overplay these readings, and the results come off like pretentious acting class exercises (I kept expecting James Lipton to come in and congratulate them for their “beautiful” performances).
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So it's tempting for everyone — from researchers who want to further their careers to journalists looking for a scoop — to overplay preliminary results.
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By and large, the actors terribly overplay these readings, and the results come off like pretentious acting class exercises (I kept expecting James Lipton to come in and congratulate them for their “beautiful” performances).
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