overreach
overreach — verb
- overreachpresent simple I / you / we / they
- overreacheshe / she / it
- overreachedpast simple
- overreaching-ing form
1. to fail at something because you attempted more than your time, energy, or skill
to fail at something because you attempted more than your time, energy, or skill could support — for instance, accepting too many tasks and finishing none of them well.
The small bakery overreached by taking orders for five hundred cakes in one weekend.
overreach + by + V-ing to show the cause
Daichi overreached himself when he agreed to write two novels and a film script in four months.
reflexive: overreach oneself
Ignacio's restaurant failed because the owners overreached and borrowed money they could never repay.
The young runner overreached in training and hurt her knee badly before the race.
Reema overreached by telling her boss she could finish the project alone in two days.
- overdo it
less formal; refers to doing too much of any activity
- go too far
informal; can apply to behaviour beyond what is sensible
- bite off more than one can chew
idiomatic; suggests taking on too many commitments
- play it safe
avoid risks; opposite of taking on too much
文法句型
overreach (yourself) by + V-ing
overreach + by + V-ing
用法筆記
Often used reflexively as 'overreach yourself', especially in British English. The plain intransitive form ('The company overreached') is also common in business contexts.
常見錯誤
2. to say something that goes beyond what the truth or the facts can support, usual
to say something that goes beyond what the truth or the facts can support, usually to make a situation seem more impressive or important than it really is.
The advertisement overreaches when it claims that this lotion cures all skin problems.
overreach in claims / advertising context
Leo overreached by saying his new software could cut costs by ninety percent.
Politicians sometimes overreach about how quickly a new policy can fix the economy.
Emma felt her colleague overreached in the meeting by exaggerating the team's results.
- exaggerate
more common; can describe any overstatement, big or small
- overstate
similar register; emphasises giving too much weight to something
- understate
to describe something as less important than it is
文法句型
overreach in + N
overreach by + V-ing
用法筆記
This sense is close in meaning to 'exaggerate' but is less common and carries a stronger implication that the claim is clearly unreasonable, not just slightly inflated.
3. to act beyond the limits of your official position or the permission you have be
to act beyond the limits of your official position or the permission you have been given — for example, a junior official who makes a decision that only a senior manager should make.
The manager overreached his authority by firing three staff without consulting anyone.
overreach + one's authority
Asher overreached himself when he signed the deal without asking the board first.
A judge ruled that the local police had overreached their power during the search.
Defne's assistant overreached by promising discounts that the company policy did not allow.
- stay within limits
act only within what is permitted
文法句型
overreach + one's authority / power
overreach oneself
用法筆記
Commonly takes 'authority' or 'power' as direct object. The reflexive form 'overreach yourself' can also be used in this sense. Distinguished from sense 1 by the presence of an authority-related object.
常見錯誤
4. to defeat or gain an advantage over someone in a business deal or negotiation by
to defeat or gain an advantage over someone in a business deal or negotiation by using methods that are clever but dishonest or unfair.
The large company overreached the small supplier by inserting unfair terms in the fine print.
overreach + someone + in a deal
Diego felt he had been overreached when the buyer secretly changed the contract price at the last minute.
passive: be overreached
Local farmers worried that the supermarket chain would overreach them in price talks.
The property developer overreached the previous owner by hiding important survey results.
- deal fairly
to negotiate honestly without deceiving the other party
文法句型
overreach + someone + in + N
用法筆記
This is the only sense of 'overreach' that is fully transitive with a human object. The focus is on dishonest cleverness, not on the victim exceeding their own limits.
overreach — noun
- overreachsingular
- overreachesplural
1. a situation in which someone acts beyond the powers or permission that their pos
a situation in which someone acts beyond the powers or permission that their position gives them, often leading to criticism or legal problems.
The committee accused the director of a clear overreach of her authority.
overreach of + one's authority
Critics described the new law as a dangerous government overreach into people's private lives.
government overreach into [domain]
The court found the officer guilty of overreach for starting the investigation without permission.
Public anger grew as the mayor's overreach of power became more obvious each week.
- exceeding authority
more literal and descriptive than 'overreach'
- excess of power
formal legal term
- restraint
staying within proper limits
用法筆記
Often used in political or legal commentary to criticise an action as going beyond what is proper. Common in the phrase 'government overreach.'
2. a statement or suggestion that goes further than what the truth or facts can rea
a statement or suggestion that goes further than what the truth or facts can reasonably support.
The scientist's announcement was dismissed as an overreach by her colleagues in the field.
dismissed as an overreach
Calling the product a miracle cure was a clear overreach that hurt the company's reputation.
The journalist's article was full of overreaches that no one could prove.
Historians warned that the book contained a serious overreach in its claims about the ancient war.
- exaggeration
more common and less formal than 'overreach'
- overstatement
similar meaning; emphasises stretching the truth
- understatement
a description that makes something seem less important
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense focuses on the content of the claim itself, not on whether someone had permission to make it.
3. an injury to the back of a horse's front foot or lower leg, caused when the hors
an injury to the back of a horse's front foot or lower leg, caused when the horse's hind foot strikes it during fast movement.
The horse had to rest for two weeks because of an overreach on its left front leg.
The farrier fitted special shoes to prevent overreach in the fast-moving racehorse.
prevent overreach with special horse shoes
A mild overreach can heal quickly if the horse is kept in a clean, dry stable.
Riders should check their horse's hooves daily for signs of overreach after long runs.
用法筆記
This is a specialised veterinary term. It is unrelated to the other senses of 'overreach' and is unlikely to appear outside horse-riding contexts.