overestimate

Everyday

1. To guess or think that an amount is bigger than it really is. tree →
2. To think someone or something is better, stronger or more important than they really are. tree →
3. (noun) A guess that is too large. tree →

In the lessons

In maths lessons, estimating means making a sensible guess; an overestimate is higher than the true answer, and rounding up gives an overestimate. In everyday life, people overestimate how much they can do in a day. Phrases: «don't overestimate», «a slight overestimate».

Examples

• I overestimated how many sweets were in the jar. tree →
• Rounding 48 up to 50 gives an overestimate. tree →
• We overestimated how far we could walk and got very tired. tree →
• Don't overestimate your strength when lifting boxes. tree →
• My guess of 300 was an overestimate; the answer was 271. tree →
• The team overestimated the other side and were surprised to win. tree →
• Do not let your vanity make you overestimate your powers. tree →

Note

Opposite: underestimate. In maths: overestimate = estimate bigger than the real answer; e.g. estimating 6.8 × 3 as 7 × 3 = 21 is an overestimate of 20.4. Regular verb. «Over-» means too much.