overhaul
Americanverb (used with object)
-
overhauls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overhauled,
past participle, past
-
overhauling
present participle
-
to make necessary repairs on; restore to serviceable condition.
My car was overhauled by an expert mechanic.
-
to investigate or examine thoroughly for repair or revision.
Next year we're going to overhaul the curriculum.
-
to gain upon, catch up with, or overtake, as in a race.
-
to haul or turn over for examination.
-
Nautical.
-
to slacken (a rope) by hauling in the opposite direction to that in which the rope was drawn taut.
-
to release the blocks of (a tackle).
-
noun
-
overhauls
plural
verb
-
to examine carefully for faults, necessary repairs, etc
-
to make repairs or adjustments to (a car, machine, etc)
-
to overtake
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overhaulsimple
-
overhaulssimple
-
have overhauledperfect
-
has overhauledperfect
-
am overhaulingprogressive
-
are overhaulingprogressive
-
is overhaulingprogressive
-
have been overhaulingperfect progressive
-
has been overhaulingperfect progressive
Past
-
overhauledsimple
-
had overhauledperfect
-
was overhaulingprogressive
-
were overhaulingprogressive
-
had been overhaulingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overhaul
Explanation
To overhaul is to completely renovate, making major changes in order to repair. A few shutters and a new coat of paint won't come close to fixing that old, boarded-up house — it needs a complete overhaul. Back in the 1620s when the word was coined, overhaul described examining a fishing net to make sure there were no tears or big holes that would keep the fisherman from getting a big haul, or large amount of fish. Today, an overhaul is usually the result of such a close examination — like the overhaul that some people want to make to American public schools, or the overhaul an old car needs to keep it on the road.
Vocabulary lists containing overhaul
This Week in Words: November 26 - December 1, 2017
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"A Place to Call Home," Vocabulary from the research study
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
I, Robot
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Mélenchon has called for an economic overhaul of France.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Friedman tells Realtor.com that a “two-month overhaul of the entire apartment” was completed to prepare the home for market.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
As part of an overhaul of its business and a push to better control costs, UnitedHealth had cut back on the number of its members in its plans.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
On several occasions student protests defeated government reforms – such as a university overhaul in 1986 and a lower youth minimum wage in 1994.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The revolutionary overhaul endowed the Mary Rose with the greatest naval military innovation of its time: hinged gunports.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
But we should also realize that the engineers who are so ready to offer grim characterizations of what they’ve created are much less willing to make any substantial process overhauls.
From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2026
Hichilema quickly implemented economic overhauls, including austerity measures, that helped pull the country out of default, winning credit from investors and economists.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
The stock declines have made software companies attractive opportunities for private-equity firms looking to acquire assets at a discount, perform strategic business overhauls and then exit at a markup.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
The whole German auto industry -- including VW's peers BMW and Mercedes-Benz with their suppliers -- has been struggling in recent years, with job cuts and overhauls increasingly common.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
A silence overhauls us, and the voice leaves me completely There’s no more breathing at the other end.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Its centerpiece is Siri AI, the overhauled version of Apple’s assistant powered by Apple Intelligence, which the company is pitching as a more conversational helper than the original Siri.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Louis Vuitton successfully overhauled its products and Chinese demand began to pick up again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
While Tesla overhauled its two volume vehicles, Models 3 and Y, in recent years, neither are totally new from the ground up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
The company said in its filing on Friday that since 2020, it had "overhauled" its privacy practices to help meet the "unique needs of its community".
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
He overhauled ethics rules governing White House employees’ interactions with lobbyists and, most important, managed to push a major economic stimulus bill through Congress, even though not a single House Republican voted in its favor.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
For Netflix, that means looking outside of its once-unimpeachable red walls and embracing more reluctant partnerships with rivals, while cutting costs and overhauling old practices wherever possible.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
Fiji also this week announced it was overhauling its intelligence service, with New Zealand's spy agency to conduct a six-month review.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
He spent time in Southern California over the offseason to get a head start on overhauling his swing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
The inquest had heard that an engineer sent by Newham Council in December 2023 to carry out an inspection and look at overhauling the windows and handles, found they were functioning when he saw them.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
There was a flurry of overhauling and painting and mending to be done.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
