overachieve

IPA/ˌəʊvəɹɐtʃˈiːv/
IPA/ˌoʊvɚɹɐtʃˈiːv/

overachieve — verb

1. to get noticeably better results in study or work than people thought you or you

1.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

to get noticeably better results in study or work than people thought you or your team would get

Example

Despite starting late, Salma overachieved on the final project and earned top marks.

overachieve on + project

The small sales team overachieved this quarter after landing two hospital contracts.

Common collocations
  • overachieve at school
  • overachieve at work
  • overachieve in exams
  • overachieve on a project
Synonyms
  • excel

    focuses on doing extremely well, even when there was no clear expectation to beat

  • outperform

    usually compares results directly with another person, team, or standard

  • succeed

    broader and more neutral; it can mean simply reaching a goal

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

overachieve at school / work

overachieve in exams / competitions

overachieve on a project / task

Usage Note

Usually used about students, workers, or teams whose results turn out much better than expected. It is intransitive, so the task or setting normally comes after at, in, or on, not as a direct object.

Common Mistakes

Salma overachieved the exam.
Salma overachieved in the exam.
'overachieve' is intransitive and needs a preposition before the task or setting.
Leo overachieved because he stayed awake all night.
Leo pushed himself too hard by staying awake all night.
this sense is about unexpectedly strong results, not simply unhealthy effort.

2. to drive yourself harder than is healthy because you are too determined to succe

2.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

to drive yourself harder than is healthy because you are too determined to succeed in study or work

Example

Tyler kept overachieving at the firm, sleeping under his desk before deadlines.

negative tone: unhealthy extra effort

Christopher began to overachieve after every monthly report became a competition.

begin to overachieve

Common collocations
  • keep overachieving
  • overachieve at work
  • begin to overachieve
Synonyms
  • overwork

    focuses more on exhausting labor than on achievement itself

  • push yourself too hard

    plain everyday wording for the same unhealthy pressure

  • obsess

    stronger and broader; it can describe unhealthy fixation beyond school or work performance

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

overachieve at work

begin to overachieve

keep overachieving

Usage Note

Distinguish this from sense 1: this use is critical rather than admiring. It focuses on pressure, strain, or unhealthy self-demand, even if the final results are ordinary.

Common Mistakes

Nina overachieved all weekend and still felt relaxed.
Nina worked hard all weekend and still felt relaxed.
this sense suggests strain or unhealthy pressure, not calm normal effort.
The team overachieved by winning the title.
The team overachieved by winning the title, even though nobody expected it.
without the idea of pressure or unexpectedly high results, readers will usually understand sense 1 instead.

overachieve — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Overachieve means doing better than people expected, so the hidden comparison is always between the result and an earlier guess about that person or team. Excel is broader: it simply means doing something very well, even if nobody expected anything special. Outperform requires a visible comparison target, such as another company, a class average, or last year's result. Succeed is the most general word and can describe any goal that is reached. Overperform is more statistical or business-like, often used for campaigns, stocks, or departments rather than people in everyday conversation. Compare: 'The intern overachieved on her first case.' 'Mina excels at debate.' 'Our branch outperformed the northern office this quarter.'

overachieve ↗excel ↗outperformsucceed ↗overperform

Common collocations

Phrases

  • overachieve at school
  • overachieve at work

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

Overachieve is a modern English compound built from over and achieve. Over adds the idea of going beyond a normal or expected level, while achieve comes through Old French from a sense of bringing something to completion. Together they first gave English a word for doing better than expected, and later also a critical sense about pushing too hard in order to keep succeeding.