overplay: Meaning and Definition of

o•ver•play

Pronunciation: (ō"vur-plā'), [key]
— v.t.
  1. to exaggerate or overemphasize (one's role in a play, an emotion, an effect, etc.): The young actor overplayed Hamlet shamelessly. The director of the movie had overplayed the pathos.
  2. to put too much stress on the value or importance of: A charitable biographer had overplayed the man's piety and benevolence.
  3. to overestimate the strength of (the cards in one's hand) with consequent loss.
  4. to hit (the ball) past the putting green.
  5. outplay.
—v.i.
  1. to exaggerate one's part, an effect, etc.; overact: Without a firm director she invariably overplays.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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