Origin: Germanic Old English prefix
Overdose has 3 different meanings across 1 category:
An excessive and dangerous dose of a drug.
"The paramedics rushed to help after he suffered an overdose from too many painkillers."
In plain English: An overdose is when someone takes too much of a drug and it becomes dangerous for their body to handle.
"The doctor rushed to the hospital after he was admitted for an accidental overdose."
Usage: While often used casually to describe any large amount of medication, the term specifically implies danger and should be reserved for situations involving toxic levels rather than standard therapeutic excesses. Avoid using it metaphorically in non-medical contexts unless clearly signaling a severe negative consequence.
To dose to excess; to give an overdose, or too many doses, to.
"The doctor was horrified when she accidentally overdosed on the patient's daily medication by giving him three pills instead of one."
In plain English: To overdose means to take too much of something, usually medicine or drugs, which can be dangerous for your body.
"She overdosed on sleeping pills before going to bed."
The word overdose combines the prefix over- with dose to describe taking too much of a medicine or drug. It entered English as a straightforward compound formed from these two existing elements.