Overdid

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˌəʊ.vəˈdɪd/

Definitions

1. To have engaged in an activity to a degree that is greater than what is appropriate or intended
2. Performed an action with too much intensity or quantity than advisable
3. Carried out a task beyond a reasonable limit, resulting in excess

Etymology: "Overdid" is simply the past tense of "overdo," formed by attaching the prefix "over-" to "do," the ordinary Old English verb "dōn." The prefix "over-" (from Old English "ofer," meaning "above" or "beyond") is one of the most productive in English, and it has been used this way since Old English times, when verbs such as "ofergān" (to go over or surpass) were common. "Overdo" is recorded in English with the sense of doing something too much or going beyond what is needed, and that sense has remained stable. Its past tense "overdid" follows the same irregular pattern as "do," whose past tense "did" was itself a vowel change from the Old English "dyde." The past participle "overdone" keeps the same stem, which is why the verb shows the same irregular shape in all its forms.

Synonyms: overexerted, overindulged, overworked, exceeded, went overboard

Antonyms: underdid, moderated, restrained, limited, controlled