overwork

[ verb oh-ver-wurk; noun oh-ver-wurk ]

/ verb ˌoʊ vərˈwɜrk; noun ˈoʊ vərˌwɜrk /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR overwork ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to cause to work too hard, too much, or too long; weary or exhaust with work (often used reflexively): Don't overwork yourself on that new job.

to work up, stir up, or excite excessively: to overwork a mob to the verge of frenzy.

to employ or elaborate to excess: an appeal for sympathy that has been overworked by many speakers.

to work or decorate all over; decorate the surface of: white limestone overworked with inscriptions.

verb (used without object)

to work too hard, too much, or too long; work to excess: You look as though you've been overworking.

noun

work beyond one's strength or capacity.

extra or excessive work.

Origin of overwork

before 1000; Old English oferwyrcan. See over-, work

Words nearby overwork

overwire, overwise, overwithhold, overword, overwore, overwork, overworn, overwrite, overwrought, overzealous, oveta

Example sentences from the Web for overwork

By then she had only three years to live, and was becoming frail from overwork.

Gertrude of Arabia, the Woman Who Invented Iraq |Clive Irving |June 17, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Chronic starvation, overwork, disease, and freezing temperatures were as effective as the bullet, only slower and crueler.

Norman Manea Survived the Nazis and the Communists and Lived to Write About It |Costica Bradatan |April 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Dickens died young, at 58, worn out from overwork, from the sheer strain of being himself.

Charles Dickens’s Unhappy Children |Michael Gorra |December 2, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
This poignancy of grief may be accounted for in part by the previous long-continued strain of overwork.

The Hill |Horace Annesley Vachell

"You must not overwork at your editorial desk, my boy," he called jocosely from the distant threshold.

Paul and the Printing Press |Sara Ware Bassett
The first was of a woman, a poor being, sagging with overwork, a lamentable baby in her arms.

The Spinner's Book of Fiction |Various
He was told that the older man was "threatened with a complete nervous breakdown due to overwork."

Rough-Hewn |Dorothy Canfield
Adversity brings necessity for overwork, duties are manifold, and responsibilities are heavy.

The Home Medical Library, Volume II (of VI) |Various

British Dictionary definitions for overwork

overwork

verb (ˌəʊvəˈwɜːk) (mainly tr)

(also intr) to work or cause to work too hard or too long

to use too much to overwork an excuse

to decorate the surface of

to work up

noun (ˈəʊvəˌwɜːk)

excessive or excessively tiring work

Derived forms of overwork

overworked, adjective

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

overwork

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Origin of overwork

Words nearby overwork

Example sentences from the Web for overwork

British Dictionary definitions for overwork

verb (ˌəʊvəˈwɜːk) (mainly tr)

noun (ˈəʊvəˌwɜːk)

Derived forms of overwork

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

overwork

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Origin of overwork

Words nearby overwork

Words related to overwork

Example sentences from the Web for overwork

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for overwork

verb (ˌəʊvəˈwɜːk) (mainly tr)

noun (ˈəʊvəˌwɜːk)

Derived forms of overwork

British Dictionary definitions for overwork