English Reference
Idiom idiom

go overboard


To go too far; to exceed reasonable bounds.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

Don't go overboard with the decorations for the party.

CONTEXTUAL

He wanted to impress his guests, so he went overboard and prepared a ten-course meal.

COMPLEX

While the intention was to create a welcoming atmosphere, the organizers went overboard with the budget, leaving little for the actual event.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all dressed up and nowhere to go

    Elaborately attired or otherwise fully prepared for an anticipated situation or activity which, nevertheless, fails to occur.

  2. 02

    all systems go

    Everything is ready.

  3. 03

    as you go

    While one is doing (something); as one progresses.

  4. 04

    boldly go where no man has gone before

    To break new ground.

  5. 05

    come and go

    To repeatedly appear and disappear; to be transient.

  6. 06

    don't go there

    Do not broach that topic.

  7. 07

    easy come, easy go

    Easily won and easily lost (usually said when resigned to a loss; something that comes in the same way, goes in the same way)

  8. 08

    enough to go around

    There is an adequate amount or supply of something for all of the people present or involved.

Last updated August 10, 2026