- overact
- Date: 1611 intransitive verb 1. to act more than is necessary 2. to overact a part transitive verb to exaggerate in acting • overaction noun
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
overact
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Overact — O ver*act , v. i. To act more than is necessary; to go to excess in action. B. Jonson. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Overact — O ver*act , v. t. 1. To act or perform to excess; to exaggerate in acting; as, he overacted his part. [1913 Webster] 2. To act upon, or influence, unduly. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] The hope of inheritance overacts them. Milton. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
overact — index overreach Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
overact — (v.) 1610s, to go too far in action, from OVER (Cf. over) + ACT (Cf. act) (v.). Meaning to play a part with too much emphasis, to chew the scenery is from 1630s. Related: Overacted; overacting … Etymology dictionary
overact — ► VERB ▪ act a role in an exaggerated manner … English terms dictionary
overact — [ō΄vərakt′] vt., vi. to act (a dramatic role) in an exaggerated way … English World dictionary
overact — UK [ˌəʊvərˈækt] / US [ˌoʊvərˈækt] verb [intransitive/transitive] Word forms overact : present tense I/you/we/they overact he/she/it overacts present participle overacting past tense overacted past participle overacted if an actor overacts, they… … English dictionary
overact — verb during dramatic scenes, she has a tendency to overact Syn: exaggerate, overdo it, overplay it; informal ham it up, camp it up … Thesaurus of popular words
overact — o•ver•act [[t]ˌoʊ vərˈækt[/t]] v. t. 1) sbz to perform (a role) in an exaggerated manner 2) sbz to overact a role • Etymology: 1605–15 … From formal English to slang
overact — overaction, n. /oh veuhr akt /, v.t., v.i. to act in an exaggerated manner. [1605 15; OVER + ACT] * * * … Universalium
