oversight
Americannoun
-
an omission or error due to carelessness.
My bank statement is full of oversights.
-
unintentional failure to notice or consider; lack of proper attention.
Owing to my oversight, the letter was sent unsigned.
-
supervision; watchful care.
a person responsible for the oversight of the organization.
- Synonyms:
- surveillance, control, direction, management
noun
-
an omission or mistake, esp one made through failure to notice something
-
supervision
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of oversight
Explanation
An oversight is a mistake you make when you're not paying full attention. Your failure to add the sugar to the cookies was an unfortunate oversight — you were so engrossed in texting that you forgot it. Oversights are not intentional mistakes. Usually they're just the result of inattention. If you make an oversight in your inspection of a nuclear power plant and it later goes into meltdown, you'll get fired. An inspector is supposed to pay attention. But if you forgot your cousin's birthday because you're busy taking care of Grandma, that's a forgivable oversight. Oversight is also the act of supervising something, like the construction of a dam, or a high school prom.
Vocabulary lists containing oversight
Two-Faced Words: Contronyms
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This Week in Words: January 27 - February 2, 2018
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100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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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.
Denying subpoenas for records related to law enforcement actions goes against state law, court rulings and the wishes of county voters, according to Hans Johnson, chair of the Civilian Oversight Commission.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026
Ho, who left the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in January, recently joined Oath, a new firm that aims to automate 80% of its work by 2030 as it integrates artificial-intelligence tools.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
Gen. Pam Bondi is scheduled to meet with the House Oversight Committee on Friday to discuss the Justice Department’s investigations into deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and its release of files related to that investigation.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
Bondi, who has been fiercely loyal to Trump since his first term, is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee on Friday over her handling of the Epstein files.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
The Congress adopted the President's proposed plan for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Safety Oversight Committee was established to ensure that the Administration's decisions were implemented.
From State of the Union Address by Carter, Jimmy
Definitions 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.
