How to Use overstate in a Sentence

overstate

verb
  • It would be overstating the case to say that it was a matter of life or death.
  • But the White House is keen not to overstate any change.
    — Meredith Oyen, The Conversation, 24 May 2022
  • The time is now To say this has to be the year for the Padres would overstating things.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025
  • The time is now To say this has to be the year for the Padres would overstating things.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025
  • The weirdness of McCarthy’s style is hard to overstate.
    — Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2022
  • Nike’s sway in elite track and road running is hard to overstate.
    — oregonlive, 5 Oct. 2019
  • The human toll of the opioid crisis is hard to overstate.
    — Sam Whitehead, CNN, 17 Mar. 2023
  • But in truth, both sides overstate the impact this case is likely to have on the law or on the ground.
    — Simon Lazarus, The New Republic, 2 Oct. 2023
  • The film’s title rather overstates the Frankenstein of it all.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 Feb. 2024
  • There is no overstating how bad the Chiefs were when Reid was hired, and not just because of the 2-14 record.
    — Sam Mellinger, kansascity, 9 Jan. 2018
  • In the past, IPCC scientists have bent over backward to be calm and not to overstate the case.
    — Naomi Oreskes, Scientific American, 18 Oct. 2021
  • In some cases, the amount of money the group has claimed to cut has been overstated.
    — Hurubie Meko, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
  • Steven Weinberg’s stature in physics would be hard to overstate.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 27 July 2021
  • Much of the skepticism starts at the top, with a voice whose power is hard to overstate.
    — Craig Welch, National Geographic, 27 Aug. 2020
  • This elongates the neck and jawline and overstates the power of surgery.
    — Jolene Edgar, Allure, 1 Dec. 2023
  • Enough of lamenting the losses and overstating the gains.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2025
  • There is no way to overstate how the Supreme Court has changed the political mood.
    — Dan Balz, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Apr. 2023
  • But the importance of the 49ers’ first-round bye cannot be overstated.
    — Benjamin Hoffman, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2020
  • The good news is that the summer slide is often overstated.
    — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 10 July 2023
  • Trump even overstated the amount DOGE itself claims to have found.
    — Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 5 Mar. 2025
  • The shock and hurt in Canada, the largest U.S. trading partner and a close ally, was hard to overstate.
    — Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2021
  • The shock and hurt in Canada, the largest U.S. trading partner and a close ally, was hard to overstate.
    — Author: Anne Gearan, Amanda Coletta, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Feb. 2021
  • But the authors probably overstate the effect of IRS staffing on the wealthy.
    — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 3 May 2021
  • To Vincent, there was no overstating the danger of gambling to the sport.
    — Tyler Kepner, The Athletic, 4 Feb. 2025
  • There’s no way to overstate Mr. Salazar’s bad judgment.
    — Mary Anastasia O’Grady, WSJ, 6 Feb. 2022
  • The hang-wringing at the time felt a trifle overstated.
    — Brian Lowry, CNN, 18 Dec. 2017
  • There’s no way to overstate how big a blow losing Ovechkin is to the Capitals, though.
    — Rob Rossi, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024
  • The level of nationwide anger at the parties is hard to overstate.
    — Alexander Smith, NBC News, 6 June 2022
  • His influence on Catholic thought, especially around grace, justice, and community, is hard to overstate.
    — Sonari Glinton, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
  • An earlier report by the Sentinel about the experience of another Hope Florida client, touted in an online magazine, found the claims did not match what the woman said actually happened, overstating the help she was given.
    — Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 May 2025

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

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