overextended

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Having taken on more work, debt or commitments than can be managed comfortably.

   Grammar: Often after a linking verb: the company is overextended.

   Patterns

   • overextended on something

   The firm became overextended after opening five new stores in a year.

   I feel overextended with three jobs and a course.

   Many families were overextended on their mortgages.

2. 2adjectivenot comparablemedical

   Stretched or straightened beyond the normal limit, as of a joint or muscle.

   Grammar: Used before nouns or after be: an overextended knee.

   The runner's overextended knee needed rest.

   An overextended arm during the serve can cause injury.

   The overextended muscle took weeks to heal.

Common combinations

financially overextended

The couple were financially overextended after buying the house.

become overextended

Small companies can easily become overextended.

feel overextended

She began to feel overextended at work.

overextended on credit

Many shoppers were overextended on credit cards.

Synonyms and how they differ

overstretched

This is the more common British choice and fits services and budgets as well as people.

overcommitted

This stresses promises and obligations rather than limited resources.

swamped

This is informal and suggests being buried in work, not planning too much.

Opposites

Word family

overextend verb

to take on or stretch too much

overextension noun

the state of being overextended

extend verb

to make longer or larger

extended adjective

longer than usual

Commonly confused: overextended or overstretched?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “overextended”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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