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

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

He almost always makes a bad move and then tries to overcompensate.

From Salon • Aug. 11, 2022

“I overcompensate when I meet people by being super energetic,” he said.

From Washington Post • Jul. 28, 2022

I guess it’s because everything’s so strict the rest of the time, they feel like they’ve got to overcompensate or something.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan