overstrain

English

Etymology

From over- +‎ strain.

Verb

overstrain (third-person singular simple present overstrains, present participle overstraining, simple past and past participle overstrained)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To subject to an excessive demand on strength, resources, abilities, or the imagination.
   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVI, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 134:

     The very phrase of "generous forbearance" shocked her as overstrained; but she did marvel that Lord Avonleigh felt neither pained nor embarrassed in a situation where such sensations seemed inevitable.

   • 1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC:

     Clover warned him sometimes to be careful not to overstrain himself, but Boxer would never listen to her.

Translations

subject to an excessive demand

• Bulgarian: пренапрягам (prenaprjagam), преуморявам (bg) (preumorjavam)
• Dutch: overbelasten (nl)
• German: überlasten (de), überfordern (de)
• Hungarian: túlfeszít (hu), túlerőltet (hu)
• Swedish: överanstränga (sv)

Noun

overstrain

1. excessive strain

Anagrams

• overtrains