overreach
overreach — 動詞
- 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
高估自己
因目標過高或承諾太多而失敗
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.
這家小麵包店承接了一個週末製作五百個蛋糕的訂單，結果搞砸了。
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.
Daichi 答應在四個月內寫兩本小說和一部電影劇本，結果把自己逼得太緊了。
reflexive: overreach oneself
Ignacio's restaurant failed because the owners overreached and borrowed money they could never repay.
Ignacio 的餐廳之所以倒閉，是因為老闆野心太大，借了根本還不起的錢。
The young runner overreached in training and hurt her knee badly before the race.
那位年輕跑者訓練時超負荷，比賽前膝蓋受了重傷。
Reema overreached by telling her boss she could finish the project alone in two days.
Reema 誇口說自己兩天就能獨自完成整個專案，結果做不到。
- 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
誇大
做出不合理的大膽宣稱
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.
這則廣告聲稱這瓶乳液能治療所有皮膚問題，說得太誇張了。
overreach in claims / advertising context
Leo overreached by saying his new software could cut costs by ninety percent.
Leo 誇口說他的新軟體可以節省百分之九十的成本。
Politicians sometimes overreach about how quickly a new policy can fix the economy.
政治人物有時會誇大新政策能多快改善經濟。
Emma felt her colleague overreached in the meeting by exaggerating the team's results.
Emma 覺得同事在會議上誇大團隊的成果，說得太過了。
- 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
越權
做出超出權限範圍的事
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.
那位經理未經諮詢就擅自解雇了三名員工，超越了職權。
overreach + one's authority
Asher overreached himself when he signed the deal without asking the board first.
Asher 未經董事會同意就簽了合約，越權行事。
A judge ruled that the local police had overreached their power during the search.
法官裁定當地警方在搜查過程中濫用了權力。
Defne's assistant overreached by promising discounts that the company policy did not allow.
Defne 的助理擅自承諾折扣，但公司政策並不允許這麼做。
- 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
詐取；矇騙
用狡猾手段在交易中佔上風
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.
那家大公司在合約細則中加入了不公平條款，欺騙了小供應商。
overreach + someone + in a deal
Diego felt he had been overreached when the buyer secretly changed the contract price at the last minute.
Diego 覺得自己上當了，因為買方在最後一刻偷偷修改了合約價格。
passive: be overreached
Local farmers worried that the supermarket chain would overreach them in price talks.
當地農民擔心這家超市連鎖店會在價格談判中耍手段佔他們便宜。
The property developer overreached the previous owner by hiding important survey results.
那名建商隱瞞了重要的鑑價報告，欺騙了前屋主。
- 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 — 名詞
- overreachsingular
- overreachesplural
1. a situation in which someone acts beyond the powers or permission that their pos
越權行為
超出權限的行為
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.
委員會指責該主管明顯越權。
overreach of + one's authority
Critics described the new law as a dangerous government overreach into people's private lives.
批評者認為這項新法律是政府對人民私生活的危險干涉。
government overreach into [domain]
The court found the officer guilty of overreach for starting the investigation without permission.
法院認定該官員未經許可擅自展開調查，屬於越權行為。
Public anger grew as the mayor's overreach of power became more obvious each week.
隨著市長越權的情況愈來愈明顯，民眾的憤怒也與日俱增。
- 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
誇大；誇張
不合理的大膽聲明
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.
那位科學家的宣布被同行認為言過其實，不足採信。
dismissed as an overreach
Calling the product a miracle cure was a clear overreach that hurt the company's reputation.
把該產品稱為神奇療法顯然是誇大其詞，反而損害了公司的聲譽。
The journalist's article was full of overreaches that no one could prove.
那名記者的文章充滿了無法證實的誇大之詞。
Historians warned that the book contained a serious overreach in its claims about the ancient war.
歷史學家警告說，該書對古代戰爭的描述有嚴重的誇大之處。
- 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
馬蹄損傷
馬奔跑時後蹄踢到前蹄造成的傷
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.
那匹馬因左前腳蹄部受傷，必須休息兩週。
The farrier fitted special shoes to prevent overreach in the fast-moving racehorse.
蹄鐵匠為這匹快馬裝了特製馬蹄鐵，以防止奔跑時後蹄踢到前蹄。
prevent overreach with special horse shoes
A mild overreach can heal quickly if the horse is kept in a clean, dry stable.
輕微的蹄部損傷只要讓馬待在乾淨乾燥的馬廄裡，很快就能痊癒。
Riders should check their horse's hooves daily for signs of overreach after long runs.
騎手每天長跑後應檢查馬蹄，留意是否有蹄部損傷的跡象。
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.