Overreach

B2 16+

Pronunciation: /ˌoʊvərˈriːtʃ/

Definitions of overreach

noun the act of reaching beyond one's grasp or authority

Example Sentences

A1 The company's overreach in spending led to financial troubles.

A2 The politician's overreach in promising too much caused skepticism among voters.

B1 The manager's overreach in micromanaging every task demotivated the team.

B2 The CEO's overreach in expanding the company too quickly resulted in a loss of quality control.

C1 The government's overreach in surveillance raised concerns about privacy rights.

C2 The organization's overreach in attempting to control every aspect of employees' lives led to backlash and resignations.

verb to reach or extend beyond a certain point or limit

Example Sentences

A1 He overreached for the cookie jar and accidentally knocked it off the counter.

A2 The company overreached in their expansion plans and ended up losing money.

B1 The politician's promises seemed to overreach what was realistically achievable.

B2 The team's attempt to overreach their competitors fell short due to lack of preparation.

C1 The CEO's ambitious goals sometimes led him to overreach and alienate his employees.

C2 The author's attempt to overreach in creating a complex narrative resulted in a confusing and disjointed story.

Examples of overreach in a Sentence

formal The company's attempt to expand into new markets resulted in an overreach that ultimately led to financial losses.

informal He always overreaches when he tries to show off his skills in front of others.

slang Don't overreach, dude, just stick to what you know.

figurative Her ambition to become a famous singer may be an overreach considering her lack of musical talent.

Grammatical Forms of overreach

past tense

overreached

plural

overreaches

comparative

more overreaching

superlative

most overreaching

present tense

overreach

future tense

will overreach

perfect tense

have overreached

continuous tense

is overreaching

singular

overreach

positive degree

overreach

infinitive

to overreach

gerund

overreaching

participle

overreached

Origin and Evolution of overreach

First Known Use: 1250 year
Language of Origin: Middle English
Story behind the word: The word 'overreach' originated from Middle English, where 'over' means excessive and 'reach' means to extend or stretch.
Evolution of the word: Originally used in a literal sense to describe physically reaching too far, the word 'overreach' evolved to also signify excessive ambition or overstepping one's bounds in a metaphorical sense.