different between overact vs overplay

English

Etymology

over- +? act

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???v???ækt/

Verb

overact (third-person singular simple present overacts, present participle overacting, simple past and past participle overacted)

1. (acting) To act in an exaggerated manner.

   He overacted his part.

2. (obsolete, transitive) To act upon, or influence, unduly.

Synonyms

• chew the scenery, ham, ham it up, melodramatize, tear a cat

Derived terms

• overactor

Translations

English

Etymology

over- +? play

Pronunciation

• enPR: ?'v?r-pl?'
• Rhymes: -e?

Verb

overplay (third-person singular simple present overplays, present participle overplaying, simple past and past participle overplayed)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To overdo or overact one's effect or role.

   When Chris overacted his part again, the director warned that anyone overplaying would be barred from the next production.

2. (transitive) To play (a song or record) too frequently.
   • 2008, Walter Douglas Crigler, iMusic/myMusic (page 75)

     A lot of times I don't want to overplay songs that I really like, because I know that then I'll get sick of them and I don't want to get sick of them.

3. (transitive) To overestimate one's strength in a game or event, which ultimately may end in a defeat.

   Jack won the last match of blackjack; Theo overplayed.

4. (transitive, golf) To accidentally hit (one's golf ball) beyond "the green".

   The first few shots went wonderfully, but Robin overplayed the last and lost.

Translations