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overstate

[ oh-ver-steyt ]

/ ˌoʊ vərˈsteɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR overstate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), o·ver·stat·ed, o·ver·stat·ing.

to state too strongly; exaggerate: to overstate one's position in a controversy.

Origin of overstate

First recorded in 1630–40; over- + state

SYNONYMS FOR overstate

overstress, embroider, magnify.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR overstate ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM overstate

o·ver·state·ment, noun

Words nearby overstate

overspill, overspin, overspread, overstaff, overstand, overstate, overstay, overstayer, oversteer, overstep, overstitch

Example sentences from the Web for overstate

It is difficult to overstate how destructive the practice of dismembering ancient and medieval books is.

Dismembering History: The Shady Online Trade in Ancient Texts |Candida Moss |November 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Maher, and certainly conservative critics, overstate the extent to which liberals fail to make common cause with such folks.

Bill Maher 1, Ben Affleck 0 |Michael Tomasky |October 5, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Or, not to overstate the case, it would have been like getting too far from a bathroom for the males among us 50 years later.

P.J. O’Rourke on Grabbing the Keys to Happiness |P. J. O’Rourke |January 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
It's impossible to overstate the extent of the disaster this represents for the Middle East as a region.

The Sectarian Calamity |Hussein Ibish |May 9, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

It is impossible to overstate just how isolated and incongruous Lady Thatcher was when she entered Parliament in 1959.

Margaret Thatcher: The Accidental Feminist |Amanda Foreman |April 9, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
It is impossible to overstate the misfortune of this temperament.

Etiquette |Emily Post
It is very hard to overstate either if the trees are properly cared for.

Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Second Annual Meeting |Northern Nut Growers Association
For all that, he could not overstate the importance of getting possession of the Hanway report the moment it was prepared.

The President |Alfred Henry Lewis
As it was, I had an affection for him which it would not be easy for me to overstate.

In Direst Peril |David Christie Murray
It would be easy, however, to overstate Jesuss relation to work.

The Bible and Life |Edwin Holt Hughes

British Dictionary definitions for overstate

overstate

/ (ˌəʊvəˈsteɪt) /

verb

(tr) to state too strongly; exaggerate or overemphasize

Derived forms of overstate

overstatement, noun