overestimate

1 of 2

verb

over·​es·​ti·​mate ˌō-vər-ˈe-stə-ˌmāt How to pronounce overestimate (audio)
overestimated; overestimating

transitive verb

: to estimate or value (someone or something) too highly
… the senator had been so responsible about his potential tax liabilities that he had substantially overestimated what he owed the government.David Burnham
… our habit of overestimating our knowledge and underestimating our ignorance …David A. Shaywitz
The emotional power of this reunion can't be overestimated.Joe Klein
"I mean that I am afraid I overestimated him. I don't think that he is a painter of the first rank."Henry James

overestimate

2 of 2

noun

over·​es·​ti·​mate ˌō-vər-ˈe-stə-mət How to pronounce overestimate (audio)
plural overestimates
: an estimate that is too high
overestimates of the company's future profits
Diamond still attacks the growth projections that the utilities have put forward, arguing that the … figures were overestimatesNorman Boucher

Examples of overestimate in a Sentence

Verb the contractors overestimated their ability to do the work on such short notice
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Its implications matter to the way retail is evolving, and for specific sectors like fashion, the impact is hard to overestimate. Adriana Lee, WWD, 20 Oct. 2024 Adam Carlson, a former Democratic pollster who has compiled data from multiple surveys, notes that polls in 2020 significantly overestimated Trump’s support among Black voters. David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2024
Noun
This year’s deficit resulted from a massive overestimate of revenues by Newsom’s administration in 2022, rather than an economic turndown, and some critics have complained that misusing reserves this year could leave them unable to cope with a recession. Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2024 An analysis of 18 major forest carbon-credits projects, for example, found vast overestimates of their conservation impacts, per a study published last year in Science. Alan Neuhauser, Axios, 24 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for overestimate 

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1797, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1828, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overestimate was in 1797

Dictionary Entries Near overestimate

Cite this Entry

“Overestimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overestimate. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

overestimate

verb
over·​es·​ti·​mate
ˌō-və-ˈres-tə-ˌmāt
overestimated; overestimating
1
: to estimate as being more than the actual size, quantity, or number
overestimated how many would attend
2
: to place too high a value on : overrate
overestimated his abilities
overestimate
-mət
noun
overestimation
-ˌres-tə-ˈmā-shən
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on overestimate

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