overcompensate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This sounds obvious, she says, but many people “neglect to pause” and try to overcompensate, which causes them to talk in circles.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 16, 2026

“But we have to be on the same page and trust that the guy next to us is going to do his job, and we don’t have to overcompensate for anything.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 29, 2025

“For years, I internalized the idea that my brain was ‘wrong’ and that I had to work twice as hard, overcompensate and mask my symptoms to be taken seriously in professional spaces,” Colzie said.

From Salon • Mar. 2, 2025

If anything, their father and mother took that away from them and left them feeling powerless, which explains this need for Kendall to overcompensate and try too hard and overshoot the mark.

From New York Times • May 30, 2023

My feet slip in the sloping gravel—it’s like running in sand, and I overcompensate by pitching forward.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen