1. to try too hard to correct or make up for something, often going beyond what is necessary or appropriate
Usage: transitive or intransitive; commonly used in psychology and everyday contexts
2. to pay or give more than is required or owed
Usage: transitive; less common than the first sense

Examples

• After being criticized for being too quiet, he overcompensated by talking loudly at every meeting.
• She overcompensated for her lack of experience by working twice as hard as everyone else.
• The company overcompensated its executives, paying them far more than the market rate.
• He tends to overcompensate for his shyness by being overly friendly with strangers.
• The student overcompensated on the test by writing excessively long answers to simple questions.
• Parents sometimes overcompensate for their own childhood deprivation by giving their children too much.
• The athlete overcompensated for an old injury, which caused new problems in other areas.