over·es·ti·mate
ˌō-vər-ˈe-stə-ˌmāt 
overestimated; overestimating
: to estimate or value (someone or something) too highly
… the senator had been so responsible about his potential tax liabilities that he had substantially overestimated what he owed the government.—
David Burnham
David Burnham… our habit of overestimating our knowledge and underestimating our ignorance …—David A. Shaywitz
David A. ShaywitzThe emotional power of this reunion can't be overestimated.—Joe Klein
Joe Klein"I mean that I am afraid I overestimated him. I don't think that he is a painter of the first rank."—Henry James
Henry James
over·es·ti·mate
ˌō-vər-ˈe-stə-mət
plural overestimates
: an estimate that is too high
overestimates of the company's future profits
Diamond still attacks the growth projections that the utilities have put forward, arguing that the … figures were overestimates …—Norman Boucher
Norman BoucherSynonyms
Examples of overestimate in a Sentence
Verb
the contractors overestimated their ability to do the work on such short notice
Recent Examples on the WebTaryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024
Owners also tend to overestimate how many sports fans there really are in a community.
—Victor Matheson, The Conversation, 5 Apr. 2024
Marshall Ingwerson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Feb. 2024
Kimmel added that Rodgers suffers from the Dunning-Kruger Effect, which states that people with limited competence overestimate their skills or intelligence.
—Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for overestimate 
Verb
Other estimates suggest the administration is overestimating the cost, which could be closer to $300 million.
—Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024
Owners also tend to overestimate how many sports fans there really are in a community.
—Victor Matheson, The Conversation, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
When people are shown polling data that corrects this overestimate, their own support for anti-democratic measures drops by more than a third.
—Marshall Ingwerson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Feb. 2024
Kimmel added that Rodgers suffers from the Dunning-Kruger Effect, which states that people with limited competence overestimate their skills or intelligence.
—Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for overestimate
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overestimate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near overestimate
Cite this Entry
“Overestimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overestimate. Accessed 9 Jun. 2024.
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