overdrive
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overdrive¹
- /ˌəʊvə(ɹ)ˈdɹaɪv/
Where it comes from
From Middle English overdriven, from Old English oferdrīfan, equivalent to over- + drive. Cognate with Saterland Frisian uurdrieuwe (“to overdo, overstate”), Dutch overdrijven (“to exaggerate”), German Low German overdrieven, överdrieven (“to overdo, exaggerate”), German übertreiben (“to overdo, exaggerate”), Norwegian overdrive (“to exaggerate”).
verb overdrives · overdriving · overdrove · overdriven
- To drive too hard, or far, or beyond strength.
overdrive²
- /ˈəʊvə(ɹ)ˌdɹaɪv/
Where it comes from
From over- + drive, originally referring to gear ratios over 1:1.
noun overdrives
- A gear, on an automobile, higher than the traditional top gear, mainly to allow better fuel economy at highway speeds. In the 21st century, such gears are no longer viewed as "extra" and thus rarely called by this name. Near-synonym: top gear
-
A state of heightened activity.
overdrive pacing
Similar: top gear, full throttle · Opposite: low gear
-
Freewheeling (driving a vehicle with the transmission in neutral) on downhill stretches to achieve higher fuel economy and/or speed than otherwise. In colloquial registers, ethnically bigoted variants have been common, such as Jewish overdrive (alluding to the stereotype of miserly Jews) or Mexican overdrive or Polish overdrive (alluding to stereotypes of foolishness and poverty).
Of course overdrive is forbidden for dump trucks in the quarry because it is unsafe, but unscrupulous workers were found to be using it because of a perverse incentive involving tonnage piece rates.
Similar: see at angel gear
- A gear ratio higher than 1:1: one in which a single revolution of the driving element corresponds to more than one revolution of the driven element.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: overuse, pacing, fore, device, overdo, overpull, overurge, overlash, overload, overdare, overspeed, overshift, overreach, overbrake, overhandle, overburn
Translations
Every language
noun gear on an automobile
| Español | superdirecta, sobremarcha |
|---|---|
| Français | surmultipliée |
| Deutsch | Schnellgang, Overdrive |
| Italiano | sovrautilizzo |
| Ελληνικά | πέμπτη pémpti |
noun state of heightened activity
| Français | surrégime, surmenage |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | υπερτάχυνση ypertáchynsi |
Talk about this word "overdrive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/overdrive. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. overdrive. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/overdrive "overdrive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/overdrive.Cite this
@misc{overdrive_2026,
title = {overdrive},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/overdrive},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
