overdrive
overdrive Lexical Profile
overdrive Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A state of heightened activity, intense effort, or rapid production.
"The marketing team went into overdrive to prepare for the unexpected product launch."
A high gear in a motor vehicle transmission that allows the drive shaft to turn faster than the engine crankshaft, reducing fuel consumption and engine wear at highway speeds.
"Once she merged onto the open highway, she shifted the transmission into overdrive."
An audio effect used especially with electric guitars that intentionally distorts the signal by driving an amplifier beyond its clean capacity, producing a warm, gritty tone.
"The guitarist stepped on the pedal to add a subtle overdrive to his blues solo."
• verb
To work, drive, or operate (a person, animal, or machine) to excess or beyond safe limits.
"If you continually overdrive the machinery without scheduled maintenance, the bearings will eventually fail."
To supply (an amplifier or electronic circuit) with an input signal too strong for clean reproduction, resulting in signal clipping or distortion.
"Turning the gain knob all the way up will overdrive the preamplifier and create afuzzy, saturated sound."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Dating back to Old English 'oferdrifan' in the verb sense of driving too hard or overpowering; the automotive transmission sense emerged in the 1930s, which subsequently gave rise to the figurative sense of heightened activity.