overmanage

verb

over·​man·​age ˌō-vər-ˈma-nij How to pronounce overmanage (audio)
overmanaged; overmanaging

transitive + intransitive

: to manage (a group, organization, etc.) with excessive control and supervision
overmanaging their staff
… seemed to overmanage his bullpen in a couple of games when he didn't have to.David Schoenfield
If stress is caused by parents overmanaging their children, then mindful parenting seems like the opposite of the solution.Hanna Rosin
Control the tendency to overmanage.Charles Curran and Lewis Miller
overmanagement noun
… leadership thinkers … who may have overemphasized overmanagement Greg McKeown
overmanager noun
plural overmanagers
In practice, the overmanager physically or virtually hovers over her employees as they work on projects. Gregory Alford

Examples of overmanage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Leaders are overmanaging risk by having speakers memorize their speeches, like your eighth-grade oral book report. John Evans, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023 Give them the freedom to manage and do their job, resisting the urge to overmanage them. Expert Panel, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2022 Collaborate — but don't overmanage or curtail affiliate creativity. Lee-Ann Johnstone, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2021 In any case, my first bit of advice is this: Try not to overmanage. Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overmanage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overmanage was in 1795

Dictionary Entries Near overmanage

Cite this Entry

“Overmanage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overmanage. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!