overstate

o·ver·state

(ō′vər-stāt′)

tr.v. o·ver·stat·ed, o·ver·stat·ing, o·ver·states

To state in exaggerated terms. See Synonyms at exaggerate.

o′ver·state′ment n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

overstate

(ˌəʊvəˈsteɪt)

(tr) to state too strongly; exaggerate or overemphasize

ˈoverˌstatement n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

o•ver•state

(ˌoʊ vərˈsteɪt)

v.t. -stat•ed, -stat•ing.

to state too strongly.

o•ver•state•ment (ˌoʊ vərˈsteɪt mənt, ˈoʊ vərˌsteɪt-) n.

overstate

Past participle: overstated
Gerund: overstating

Imperative
overstate
overstate

Present
I overstate
you overstate
he/she/it overstates
we overstate
you overstate
they overstate

Preterite
I overstated
you overstated
he/she/it overstated
we overstated
you overstated
they overstated

Present Continuous
I am overstating
you are overstating
he/she/it is overstating
we are overstating
you are overstating
they are overstating

Present Perfect
I have overstated
you have overstated
he/she/it has overstated
we have overstated
you have overstated
they have overstated

Past Continuous
I was overstating
you were overstating
he/she/it was overstating
we were overstating
you were overstating
they were overstating

Past Perfect
I had overstated
you had overstated
he/she/it had overstated
we had overstated
you had overstated
they had overstated

Future
I will overstate
you will overstate
he/she/it will overstate
we will overstate
you will overstate
they will overstate

Future Perfect
I will have overstated
you will have overstated
he/she/it will have overstated
we will have overstated
you will have overstated
they will have overstated

Future Continuous
I will be overstating
you will be overstating
he/she/it will be overstating
we will be overstating
you will be overstating
they will be overstating

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been overstating
you have been overstating
he/she/it has been overstating
we have been overstating
you have been overstating
they have been overstating

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been overstating
you will have been overstating
he/she/it will have been overstating
we will have been overstating
you will have been overstating
they will have been overstating

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been overstating
you had been overstating
he/she/it had been overstating
we had been overstating
you had been overstating
they had been overstating

Conditional
I would overstate
you would overstate
he/she/it would overstate
we would overstate
you would overstate
they would overstate

Past Conditional
I would have overstated
you would have overstated
he/she/it would have overstated
we would have overstated
you would have overstated
they would have overstated

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb

overstate - to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth; "tended to romanticize and exaggerate this `gracious Old South' imagery"

exaggerate, hyperbolise, hyperbolize, magnify, overdraw, amplify

misinform, mislead - give false or misleading information to

overemphasise, overemphasize, overstress - place special or excessive emphasis on; "I cannot overemphasize the importance of this book"

boast, brag, gasconade, shoot a line, vaunt, tout, gas, bluster, swash, blow - show off

aggrandise, aggrandize, embellish, pad, embroider, lard, dramatise, dramatize, blow up - add details to

downplay, minimise, understate, minimize - represent as less significant or important

overstate

verb exaggerate, overdo, overestimate, overemphasize, emphasize too much, hyperbolize The importance of health education cannot be overstated.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

overstate

verb

To make (something) seem greater than is actually the case:

exaggerate, hyperbolize, inflate, magnify, overcharge.

Idioms: blow up out of proportion, lay it on thick, stretch the truth.

Translations

přehánět

übertreiben

esagerare

overstate

[ˌəʊvəˈsteɪt] VT → exagerar
to overstate one's case → exagerar sus argumentos

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

overstate

[ˌəʊvə^rˈsteɪt] vt

[+ profits, earnings, value] → gonfler

(= exaggerate) [+ importance, danger] → exagérer
They think this method overstates the dangers → Ils pensent que cette méthode exagère les dangers.
it is impossible to overstate the importance of ... → on ne peut surestimer l'importance de ...
The importance of health education cannot be overstated → L'importance de l'éducation sanitaire ne peut être surestimée.
to overstate the case → forcer le trait

overstate

[ˌəʊvəˈsteɪt] vt to overstate one's case → esagerare nel presentare le proprie ragioni

References in classic literature ?

I shall discuss this question at length in a later lecture; for the present I will only observe that it is by no means simple, and that, though I believe the behaviourists somewhat overstate their case, yet there is an important element of truth in their contention, since the things which we can discover by introspection do not seem to differ in any very fundamental way from the things which we discover by external observation.

View in context

Looking back, still wary not to overstate the impact of the fracture he suffered at Old Trafford last year, he acknowledges it was a significant setback.

Ansari hoping his luck holds on tour of India

But a review of the differences between the CSEW and crimes recorded by police showed that while both report a fall in offences, police records appear to "overstate the true rate in which crime has been falling".

Cops 'overstate' crime figures

It is impossible to overstate the bravery and fortitude of those who serve their country so selflessly - and it's impossible to overstate the importance of fine organisations like Help for Heroes.

Hail these true heroes; ECHO

The SEC alleged that Blue, Cook and Campbell participated in a fraudulent scheme to overstate UAP's operating results in 1999 and 2000, while benefiting from inflated bonuses.

James Charles Blue

Overstate: to state too strongly, to exaggerate: to overstate one's position in a controversy.

Slips that pass in the night ..

will systematically overstate tax expense and tax liabilities (or understate tax as sets) in certain periods and create gains in subsequent periods when the statute of limitations expires (or an examination is concluded and the matter resolved)." As a result, the exposure draft will not faithfully present a financial statement issuer's cash flows.

TEI urges FASB to withdraw uncertain tax positions draft

Check to see if swap transactions overstate revenue and add no realized value.

Credit management: tips for evaluating business credit risk

"It is impossible to overstate the depth of anger mid disappointment caused by the president's support for an antifamily constitutional amendment [banning same-sex marriage]," says Log Cabin executive director Patrick Guerriero.

In search of fair-minded Republicans: Log Cabin Republicans is forging ahead in support of GOP candidates--despite an antigay party platform and a president it will not endorse

adults believes it's acceptable to overstate the value of their claims.

Fighting fraud with technology: carriers need to equip themselves with integrated tools and technologies to ward off fraud

With sales of Chicken Soup titles topping 80 million copies worldwide, the publishing coup is tough to overstate.