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to overwork

to overwork

4 4.1
To make someone work too much so they become very tired or ill
  • verb
  • /ˌoʊvərˈwɜrk/
: sobrecargar de trabajo
  • Many social workers, for example, carry on despite being overworked, underpaid, and too often treated with disrespect.
  • teachers are overworked
  • already overworked
  • often overworked

So I tend to try and overwork on it early.

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Examples

  • Be aware of this and don't overwork them on very cold and windy days.

    Blog text (2)
  • I think we, as a nation, tend to be overworked and underpaid.

    Blog text (12)
  • We often overwork to try to get it all.

  • Well, I never overwork myself for anybody.

  • So this feels like having to overwork yourself to accomplish it.

  • Thanks for keeping up the good work; try not to totally overwork yourself, Coela!

    Blog text (2)
  • They're overworked these days.

  • Migrant families were often mistreated, overworked, and unfairly paid.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Beset by chronic staff shortages and turnover, social workers tend to be overworked and are often asked to take on large client caseloads.

    Academic text (2011)
  • She tends to overwork herself, often staying late at the office even when she's exhausted.

Synonyms

to overwhelm
vsto overwork
63 3.9

Give someone too much work or problems so they cannot cope

is narrower, stressing excessive assigned work and resulting harm
to work to the bone
vsto overwork
  • Informal
11 6.0

To do very hard, long tasks until you are very tired

is the general act of forcing too much work with harmful effects
to work like a dog
vsto overwork
  • Informal
8 3.4

Spend a lot of time doing hard, tiring tasks

adds the idea of forcing too much work that leads to harm
to overburden
vsto overwork
6 5.9

To give someone too much work or responsibility

is similar but highlights pushing work until harm or exhaustion occurs
to overexert
vsto overwork
4 6.5

Make more effort than your body or mind can handle

focuses more on excessive assigned work and its harmful effects
to overstretch
vsto overwork
4 5.5

To push someone or something beyond what they can manage

focuses more specifically on excessive work that harms health
to fatigue
vsto overwork
4 4.6

To make someone very tired by hard work or long effort

is the active act of making someone work too much and harm them
to work like crazy
vsto overwork
  • Informal
3 4.8

Try very hard for some time

involves imposing excessive work that may cause real harm or exhaustion
to overdrive
vsto overwork
1 6.3

To make someone work too hard until they are tired

is more about assigning too much work rather than general pushing
to overstress
vsto overwork
1 4.4

To put too much strain on the body or mind

focuses more on giving excessive work that leads to strain
to run off someone's feet
vsto overwork
  • UK
1 7.1

To make someone very busy and tired with too much work

is specifically the act of making someone work excessively and harmfully
to overstrain
vsto overwork
1 6.5

To push yourself or something too hard so it breaks and you become very tired

is about making someone work too hard, often causing harm
to overtire
vsto overwork
1 6.8

To make someone very tired by doing too much

is broader, causing excessive work leading to harm or exhaustion
to overexert oneself
vsto overwork
1 7.2

Make too much effort with your body or mind so it is unhealthy

stresses imposing too much work rather than self-driven overeffort
to overfatigue
vsto overwork
8.4

To make someone very tired so they cannot work or think well

is wider, implying too much work that can also cause harm
to overtired
vsto overwork
3.5

To make someone very sleepy from too much activity

emphasizes excess work that may also damage health or ability
to swamp someone with tasks
vsto overwork
  • Informal
6.3

To give someone more work than they can do

is about making someone work excessively, often causing physical harm
to overweary
vsto overwork
  • Archaic
9.5

To make someone very tired by doing too much without rest

emphasizes imposed excessive work with potential lasting harm
to break one's back
vsto overwork
  • Informal
6.0

To work very hard at something until you are very tired

is the broader practice of overloading work that can cause harm

Antonyms

654 1.0

A period when you stop activity to relax or sleep

309 2.1

To make something less painful or difficult

How Overworked

to exhaust
21 3.2
to overwork
4 4.1
to ask
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

overwork infinitive
overworked past
overworked past participle
overworking present participle
overworks third person singular

Morphology

overwork = work (transparent) = over + work

Clear productive prefixation where 'over-' adds the meaning 'excessively' to the verb 'work'.

Etymology

Overwork comes from over- 'too much' plus work 'to do work', so to overwork someone or yourself is to make them do 'too much work' and risk exhaustion.