overstateo‧ver‧state /ˌəʊvəˈsteɪt $ ˌoʊvər-/ verb [transitive] 
To say that all motorists speed in residential areas is overstating the case. The importance of a child’s early years cannot be overstated (=is very important).—overstatement noun [countable, uncountable]: It’s an overstatement to say that the man’s a fool.
VERB TABLE
overstate
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | overstate |
| he, she, it | overstates | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | overstated |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have overstated |
| he, she, it | has overstated | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had overstated |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will overstate |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have overstated |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am overstating |
| he, she, it | is overstating | |
| you, we, they | are overstating | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was overstating |
| you, we, they | were overstating | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been overstating |
| he, she, it | has been overstating | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been overstating |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be overstating |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been overstating |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Opponents say Nader is overstating the gravity of the problem.
- Politicians typically overstate their case in order to get their point across.
- The company says that the dangers of driving while using cell phones have been overstated.
- And yet, I overstated the barber's deference and this made me misunderstand, crucially, Waugh's novel.
- First, the agency may seek to expand a given government programme by systematically overstating the benefits or understating the costs.
- For a man so understated personally, he is suprisingly overstated professionally.
- It would be difficult to overstate how important a figure this Baltimore newspaperman was in the world of wine.
- She backs up her description of the deteriorating work environment with solid research, though she sometimes overstates her case.
- The importance to historians of encoding standards that will facilitate data exchange can not be overstated.
- The need for occasional supervision at least when working with the dying can not be overstated.
- The significance of this decline can not be overstated.
THESAURUS
to say that something is much bigger, better, worse, more important etc than it really is: · He exaggerated his own achievements.· These claims are wildly exaggerated.· The grass in the garden was about three feet high – I’m not exaggerating.
to say a situation or event is a lot worse or much more serious than it really is: · The problem really has been blown up out of all proportion.
to treat something that has happened as though it were more important or serious than it really is – used especially when saying that you should not do this: · She loved the fact that he’d sent her flowers, but she didn’t want to make too much of it in case it meant nothing.· It's probably nothing – children often get these strange ideas. You shouldn’t make too much of them
(also overemphasise British English) to say that a part of something is more important and has a bigger effect than is really true, especially in relation to other things: · The importance of cleanliness in the preparation of food cannot be overemphasized.· Historians have tended to overemphasize the role of the monarchy in British history.
to describe something in a way that makes it sound more important or serious than it really is: · Sometimes she overstates her case.· The importance of advertising can hardly be overstated.
to make something seem more important than it is, in the way that you talk about it or treat it: · The media has greatly overplayed this issue.
to make someone or something seem much better, less harmful etc than they really are – used when you think it is wrong to do this: · His films glorify violence.· My father never glorified war.· These images were produced in order to glorify the empire.
informal to talk about something in a way that makes it appear more important, interesting, or successful than it really is, especially to get someone’s support or interest: · At the interview, he talked up his experience of working in sales.· The government tried to talk up the threat posed by these countries, in order to justify an increase in military spending.
adjective if you think someone or something is overrated, you think they are not nearly as good as people claim: · I think her books are overrated.· As a player he’s overrated.
adjective an idealized image, view, picture etc of someone or something shows them as being much better than they really are: · His books give an idealized picture of English rural life.· her friend’s idealized view of marriage
Longman Language Activatorto exaggerate something to say that something is much bigger, better, worse, more important etc than it really is: · "He said you walked 30 miles." "No - he's exaggerating. It was only about 15."· Newspapers tend to exaggerate their influence on the way people vote.· The grass in the garden was about three feet high - I'm not exaggerating.
to say that a situation or event is a lot worse or much more serious than it really is, especially with the result that people become very worried or annoyed: · The whole thing has been blown out of all proportion by the media.· It was just a simple disagreement. Don't blow it up out of all proportion.
to treat something that has happened as though it were more important or serious than it really is: · The press made too much of his stupid remark. He was only joking.· She loved the fact that he'd sent her flowers, but she didn't want to make too much of it in case it meant nothing.
if someone or something is overrated , people say they are much better than they really are: · I think her books are very overrated.· Critics claim that many soccer players are overpaid, overrated and out of touch.
also overemphasise British to say that a part of something is more important than it really is, especially in relation to other things: · The report overemphasizes the role of the teacher. Children also learn from their parents and from each other.· The importance of strict hygiene in the preparation of food cannot be overemphasized.
to describe something in a way that makes it sound more important or serious than it really is, especially in order to persuade people about something: · The company says that the dangers of driving while using cell phones have been overstated.· Politicians typically overstate their case in order to get their point across.
behaving as if a situation is much worse or more serious than it really is, especially with the result that you seem silly: · Oh, don't be so melodramatic! You're not the only one who has ever failed an exam.· She said she'd kill herself if he left her. She's always so melodramatic!
informal to say that your situation is much worse or you feel much more upset than is really true, in order to make someone feel sorry for you: · She really laid it on - saying that her kids would starve if we didn't give you a job.lay it on thick: · Most charities lay it on so thick it's hard to know what the truth is.
something that is exaggerated a statement that makes something seem better or worse, bigger or smaller etc than it really is: · Jim's not fat exactly - that's an exaggeration. He's just a little overweight.· How much of the story was exaggeration is impossible to say.gross exaggeration (=a big exaggeration): · It would be a gross exaggeration to describe the film as a masterpiece, but it has some good moments.it is an exaggeration to say that: · It is an exaggeration to say that he earns more money than anyone I know, but he is certainly very well paid.
making something seem much worse, better, more important etc than it really is: · The numbers killed in the massacre are probably exaggerated.wildly/grossly exaggerated: · Some wildly exaggerated claims have been made about this so-called "wonder-drug".
exaggerated a lot and therefore difficult to believe: · Extravagant claims have been made for some herbal remedies including the curing of baldness.
a statement that is exaggerated and therefore probably not true - use this especially as a polite way of saying that a statement is exaggerated: · He said she was really beautiful -- a slight overstatement I thought.· To say the company was going bankrupt is an overstatement. We have one or two financial problems, that's all.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY To say that all motorists speed in residential areas is overstating the case. The importance of a child’s early years cannot be overstated (=is very important).COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
To say that all motorists speed in residential areas is overstating the case. The importance of a child’s early years cannot be overstated (=is very important).· Even now I think she overstates her case and ignores the specific tribal, territorial motives of the Balkan conflict.· As you may have gathered from watching television, Hosea has a tendency to overstate his case.· She backs up her description of the deteriorating work environment with solid research, though she sometimes overstates her case.· But, in retrospect, perhaps I overstated the case by proposing that we nationalize the banks.· It is easy to overstate the case.· Crediting Gene Kelly with teaching the movies how to dance may be overstating the case.· Alas, poor Albion. i have deliberately overstated the case.· For Brailsford, who had a tendency to overstate his case, this marked a decisive turning point in world history.
WORD FAMILYnounstatementunderstatement ≠ overstatementverbstateunderstate ≠ overstateadjectiveunderstated ≠ overstated
to talk about something in a way that makes it seem more important, serious etc than it really is SYN exaggerate OPP understate: To say that all motorists speed in residential areas is overstating the case. The importance of a child’s early years cannot be overstated (=is very important).—overstatement noun [countable, uncountable]: It’s an overstatement to say that the man’s a fool.- daydream
- daydreamer
- day girl
- Day-Glo
- day job
- Day-Lewis, Daniel
- daylight
- daylight saving time
- day nursery
- Day of Atonement
- day off
- day of judgment
- Day of the Jackal, The
- Day of the Triffids, The
- daypack
- day pupil
- day release
- day return
- day room
- day school
- daytime
- day-to-day
- Daytona 500
- Daytona Beach
- Dayton Accords