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# overestimate

verb (overestimate, overestimates, overestimated, overestimating); noun (an overestimate, overestimates)

«overestimate» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To guess or think that an amount is bigger than it really is. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overestimate/#m1)
2. To think someone or something is better, stronger or more important than they really are. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overestimate/#m2)
3. (noun) A guess that is too large. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overestimate/#m3)

### In the lessons

In maths lessons, estimating means making a sensible guess; an overestimate is higher than the true answer, and rounding up gives an overestimate. In everyday life, people overestimate how much they can do in a day. Phrases: «don't overestimate», «a slight overestimate».

### Examples

- I overestimated how many sweets were in the jar. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overestimate/#x1)
- Rounding 48 up to 50 gives an overestimate. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overestimate/#x2)
- We overestimated how far we could walk and got very tired. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overestimate/#x3)
- Don't overestimate your strength when lifting boxes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overestimate/#x4)
- My guess of 300 was an overestimate; the answer was 271. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overestimate/#x5)
- The team overestimated the other side and were surprised to win. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overestimate/#x6)
- Do not let your vanity make you overestimate your powers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overestimate/#x7)

### Note

Opposite: underestimate. In maths: overestimate = estimate bigger than the real answer; e.g. estimating 6.8 × 3 as 7 × 3 = 21 is an overestimate of 20.4. Regular verb. «Over-» means too much.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «overestimate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overestimate/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«overestimate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/overestimate.html) on Mova free.