Synonyms

overstep

American

[oh-ver-step] / ˌoʊ vərˈstɛp /

verb (used with object)

overstepped, overstepping

to go beyond; exceed.

to overstep one's authority.

overstep British

/ ˌəʊvəˈstɛp /

verb

(tr) to go beyond (a certain or proper limit)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of overstep

before 1000; Middle English oversteppen, Old English ofersteppan. See over-, step

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While offside against Haaland was technically correct in law, it was an overstep by the VAR.

From BBC

Politicians have always overstepped boundaries and bent rules.

From Salon

I want to teach my young relative good money habits without overstepping the parents’ authority.

From MarketWatch

While some news coverage of ICE enforcement is overblown, she said, federal agents at times are “overstepping their boundaries.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“I shouldn’t have...Things have been super weird on my end, and I haven’t been getting a ton of sleep, so, like, I way overstepped.”

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023