overslaugh

[ oh-ver-slaw ]

verb (used with object)
  1. to pass over or disregard (a person) by giving a promotion, position, etc., to another instead.

Origin of overslaugh

1
1765–75; <Dutch overslaan, equivalent to over-over- + slaan to strike; compare German überschlagen;see slay

Words Nearby overslaugh

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use overslaugh in a sentence

  • At length we reached the overslaugh, which, as was apt to be the case, was well sprinkled with vessels aground.

    Miles Wallingford | James Fenimore Cooper
  • The Castleton Bar or "overslaugh," as it was known by the river pilots, impeded for years navigation in low water.

    The Hudson | Wallace Bruce
  • But these subjects took a somewhat loftier tone, than the contemplation of an exchange of orderly duty, or an overslaugh of guard.

    A Love Story | A Bushman

British Dictionary definitions for overslaugh

overslaugh

/ (ˈəʊvəˌslɔː) /


noun
  1. military the passing over of one duty for another that takes precedence

verb
  1. (tr) US to pass over; ignore

Origin of overslaugh

1
C18: from Dutch overslaan to pass over

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