overdrive
Americanverb (used with object)
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to push or carry to excess; overwork.
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to drive too hard.
noun
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Machinery, Automotive. a device containing a gear set at such ratio and arrangement as to provide a drive shaft speed greater than the engine crankshaft speed.
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Also called hyperdrive. Informal. a state of intense activity or productivity.
The political campaign has shifted into overdrive.
noun
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a very high gear in a motor vehicle used at high speeds to reduce wear and save fuel
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in a state of intense activity
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into a state of intense activity
verb
Etymology
Origin of overdrive
First recorded before 950; Middle English overdriven “to cover over, overpower”; Old English oferdrīfan “to drive away, overthrow”; equivalent to over- ( def. ) + drive ( def. )
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.
On 34 minutes, France went into overdrive again as Jalibert's chip had Ireland scrambling, and the hosts recovered the ball before Guillard put in his second row partner Ollivon to score.
From Barron's
Software stocks had already been falling over fears that AI would make some of their products obsolete, but that selloff went into overdrive after the release of a new coding tool.
“When your brain is in overdrive it can make your body feel tired, react differently, even make you physically ill.”
From Literature
Early-stage venture firm Antler has kicked its investment into overdrive in the last five years, doubling down on a high-volume strategy it says will pay off in the artificial intelligence era.
The result: Chalamet may be the focus of Oscar talk as the movie’s leading man, but it’s the people swirling around his character who send the propulsive drama about ambition into overdrive.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
