noun
Meaning 1
A superstructure.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
overwork
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: ōʹvə-wûk'
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈəʊvəˌwɜːk/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Canada, General-American: ōʹvər-wûrk'
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Canada, General-American: /ˈoʊvɚˌwɝk/
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Received-Pronunciation: ō'və-wûkʹ
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˌəʊvəˈwɜːk/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Canada, General-American: ō'vər-wûrkʹ
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Canada, General-American: /ˌoʊvɚˈwɝk/
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rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)k
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CMU ARPABET: OW2 V ER0 W ER1 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
Excessive work.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To make (someone or something) work too hard.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- to overwork a horse
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
To work too hard.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
To fill too full of work; to crowd with labour.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 6
To decorate all over.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
the act of working too much or too long
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he became ill from overwork
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: overworking
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: labor, labour, toil
verb
Meaning 8
use too much
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- This play has been overworked
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: work, work on, process
verb
Meaning 9
work excessively hard
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he is exploiting the students
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: exploit
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: work, put to work
Narrower terms: overdrive
History
Etymology
From Middle English overwerc, from Old English oferweorc, oferġeweorc (“an overwork, superstructure, tomb”), equivalent to over- + work.
From Middle English overwerken, possibly from Old English oferwyrċan (“to overwork, overlay”), equivalent to over- + work. Cognate with Dutch overwerken (“to overwork”).
Across languages
Translations
22 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: преумора (preumora) — excessive work
- Chinese Mandarin: 過勞 /过劳 (guòláo) — excessive work
- French: surmenage — excessive work
- Japanese: 過労 (karō) — excessive work
- Korean: 과로 (gwaro) — excessive work
- Macedonian: преработување (prerabotuvanje) — excessive work
- Polish: przepracowanie — excessive work
- Russian: перегру́зка (peregrúzka) — excessive work
- Russian: перенапряже́ние (perenaprjažénije) — excessive work
- Russian: переутомле́ние (pereutomlénije) — excessive work
- Spanish: sobretrabajo — excessive work
- Turkish: sürmenaj — excessive work
- Bulgarian: преуморявам се (preumorjavam se) — to work too hard
- Czech: přepracovat se — to work too hard
- German: sich überarbeiten — to work too hard
- Japanese: 過労する (karō suru) — to work too hard
- Korean: 과로하다 (gwarohada) — to work too hard
- Macedonian: преработи (preraboti) — to work too hard
- Polish: przepracowywać się — to work too hard
- Russian: перетружда́ться (peretruždátʹsja) — to work too hard
- Russian: перетруди́ться (peretrudítʹsja) — to work too hard
- Spanish: sobretrabajar — to work too hard