over·es·ti·mate
ˌō-vər-ˈe-stə-ˌmāt 
overestimated; overestimating
: 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
David Burnham… our habit of overestimating our knowledge and underestimating our ignorance …—David A. Shaywitz
David A. ShaywitzThe emotional power of this reunion can't be overestimated.—Joe Klein
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
Henry James
over·es·ti·mate
ˌō-vər-ˈe-stə-mət
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 overestimates …—Norman Boucher
Norman BoucherSynonyms
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
Jamil Zaki, TIME, 23 Nov. 2024
Opponents of the project have argued the state’s analysis is flawed and underestimates the costs while overestimating the benefits.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024
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 
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
Both Democrats and Republicans vastly overestimate how extreme, hateful, anti-democratic, and violent their opponents are.
—Jamil Zaki, TIME, 23 Nov. 2024
Opponents of the project have argued the state’s analysis is flawed and underestimates the costs while overestimating the benefits.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 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
Dictionary Entries Near overestimate
Cite this Entry
“Overestimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overestimate. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share