overdone
overdone — adjective
1. When food, especially meat, is overdone, it has been left on the heat past the r
When food, especially meat, is overdone, it has been left on the heat past the right point, so the texture is tough, dry, or chewy instead of tender.
Mayumi sliced the steak and saw it was overdone — grey all the way through with no pink at the centre.
predicative use: be overdone (of food)
The fish was so overdone it crumbled into dry flakes when Christopher touched it with a fork.
intensifier pattern: so overdone (that)
Even the roast potatoes looked overdone, with hard black edges and a bitter smell.
Inês ordered her lamb medium, but the kitchen sent it back overdone three times in a row.
- overcooked
near-identical meaning; slightly more common in everyday speech
- burnt
stronger — implies black or charred surface, not just dry
- dry
broader; refers to loss of moisture without specifying cause
用法筆記
Almost always used of food items (meat, fish, vegetables, pasta). Subject is usually the food itself, not the cook. Distinguish from sense 'exaggerated' (see verb sense 3 of overdo) — when describing food, only 'cooked too much' is meant.
常見錯誤
overdone — verb
1. to do an activity or use a behaviour so much that it stops being good for you or
to do an activity or use a behaviour so much that it stops being good for you or for the situation, often causing tiredness, illness, or a bad effect.
Jisoo overdid the running this week and now her knees hurt every morning.
overdo + activity noun (the running)
Don't overdo it on your first day back at the gym, or you'll be sore for a week.
set phrase: overdo it (warn against effort)
Mateo overdid the celebrations after the wedding and missed his flight home the next day.
The trainer reminded the swimmers not to overdo their lap counts before the big race.
Tariq tends to overdo things when he gets excited about a new project at work.
- overdo it
the fixed phrasal form; usually preferred in spoken English
- go overboard
more informal; suggests crossing into excess by choice
- push it
informal; implies testing one's own limit on purpose
- pace yourself
the standard advice opposite — work at a sustainable rate
文法句型
overdo + noun (activity)
overdo it
用法筆記
Often takes a generic object like 'it' or 'things' when the activity is clear from context. Distinguish from sense 2 (use too much of a substance): sense 1 is about the level of activity, sense 2 is about quantity of a material.
常見錯誤
2. to put in or add a larger amount of something — usually a flavour, decoration, o
to put in or add a larger amount of something — usually a flavour, decoration, or feature — than the situation needs, so the result feels heavy or unbalanced.
Obi overdid the salt in the soup and nobody could finish their bowl at dinner.
overdo + the [ingredient]
Noa overdid the perfume before her date and the smell filled the whole taxi.
overdo + the [substance applied to body]
The interior designer warned the couple not to overdo the gold accents in such a small living room.
Kabir overdid the chilli flakes and his guests reached for water with every bite.
- use too much of
plain paraphrase; works in any register
- go heavy on
informal; very common in cooking talk
- lay it on thick
idiomatic; more about display than substance
- go easy on
informal opposite — use a small amount
文法句型
overdo + the + [substance/feature noun]
用法筆記
Object is usually a mass noun for a substance (salt, perfume, paint) or a count noun for a recurring feature (gold accents, exclamation marks). Distinct from sense 1: here the issue is quantity of material, not level of personal effort.
常見錯誤
3. to show a feeling, reaction, or performance in a way that is much stronger or mo
to show a feeling, reaction, or performance in a way that is much stronger or more dramatic than it should be, so other people notice it as fake or forced.
Otis overdid the surprise when his sister brought out the birthday cake — everyone could tell he already knew.
overdo + emotional reaction noun
The young actor overdid the sadness in the funeral scene and the audience started to giggle.
overdo + the [performed emotion]
Élise overdid the apology so much that the manager began to wonder whether anything had really gone wrong.
Don't overdo the modesty — if you really won three awards, just say so plainly.
- overact
specific to performance and theatre
- exaggerate
broader; works for facts and feelings alike
- ham it up
informal; about overly dramatic performance
- underplay
perform with deliberately less intensity
文法句型
overdo + the [reaction/emotion noun]
用法筆記
Object is typically an emotion or attitude being performed (surprise, sadness, modesty, sympathy). Distinguish from sense 1 (effort/activity): here the criticism is about a performance reading as insincere, not about physical strain.
常見錯誤
4. to leave food on the heat past the point at which it is properly cooked, so it b
to leave food on the heat past the point at which it is properly cooked, so it becomes dry, tough, or rubbery to eat.
Hyun overdid the salmon by leaving the pan on the stove and walking out to answer the phone.
overdo + the [meat/fish noun]
Try not to overdo the eggs — soft and slightly runny is what the recipe asks for.
imperative: try not to overdo
Mayumi's mother always overdoes the broccoli until it turns a sad olive colour.
The chef apologised for overdoing the duck breast at table seven.
- undercook
leave food on the heat for too little time
文法句型
overdo + the [food noun]
用法筆記
Object is the specific food (the steak, the eggs, the broccoli), not a meal or course. Use the adjective 'overdone' for the resulting state of the food itself.
常見錯誤
5. to push your body or energy so far during work, exercise, or recovery that you b
to push your body or energy so far during work, exercise, or recovery that you become very tired or actually ill afterwards.
The nurse told Tariq not to overdo himself in the first week after surgery.
reflexive: overdo + oneself, in recovery context
Kabir overdid it in the garden on Saturday and spent all of Sunday in bed with back pain.
overdo it + physical activity context
Older runners are warned not to overdo themselves during the first hot week of summer training.
Inês overdid it at the family wedding and ended up with a bad cold by Monday morning.
- wear yourself out
everyday equivalent; very common
- exhaust yourself
stronger; suggests near-complete depletion
- overexert yourself
more formal; common in medical advice
- rest
the recommended opposite; pause to recover
- take it easy
informal; slow down deliberately
文法句型
overdo + oneself
overdo it (in this physical-effort reading)
用法筆記
Usually reflexive ('overdo yourself / himself / herself') or with 'it' when the activity is contextually obvious. Often appears in advice from a doctor, coach, or carer. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is the general 'do too much' use, while sense 5 zooms in on bodily exhaustion or illness as the outcome.