Definition of "overdrive" []

• A gearing mechanism of a motor vehicle engine that reduces the power output required to maintain driving speed in a specific range by lowering the gear ratio. (noun)
• Informal A state of heightened activity or concentration: shifted into overdrive toward the end of the semester. (noun)
• To drive (a vehicle) too far or too long. (verb-transitive)
• To push (oneself) too far, as in the performance of tasks. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "We will be smarter; we will be a “populace stuck in overdrive, searching out the last bits of competitive advantage.”"
• "With national support now ramping up for Brown and the Brown Brigade kicking in overdrive results are going to change quickly in favor of brown."
• "That motor was in overdrive as Sablikova crossed the finish line in 6 minutes, 50.91 seconds in the final pair."