override

American  

[oh-ver-rahyd, oh-ver-rahyd] / ˌoʊ vərˈraɪd, ˈoʊ vərˌraɪd /

verb (used with object)

• overrides,
  present (3rd person singular)
• overrode,
  past
• overridden,
  past participle
• overriding
  present participle

1. to prevail or have dominance over; have final authority or say over; overrule.

   to override one's advisers.

2. to disregard, set aside, or nullify; countermand.

   to override the board's veto.

3. to take precedence over; preempt or supersede.

   to override any other considerations.

4. to extend beyond or spread over; overlap.

5. to modify or suspend the ordinary functioning of; alter the normal operation of.

6. to ride over or across.

7. to ride past or beyond.

8. to trample or crush; ride down.

9. to ride (a horse) too much.

10. Fox Hunting. to ride too closely behind (the hounds).

---

noun

• overrides
  plural

1. a commission on sales or profits, especially one paid at the executive or managerial level.

2. budgetary or expense increase; exceeding of an estimate.

   work stoppage because of cost overrides.

3. an ability or allowance to correct, change, supplement, or suspend the operation of an otherwise automatic mechanism, system, etc.

4. an auxiliary device for such modification, as a special manual control.

5. an act of nullifying, canceling, or setting aside.

   a congressional override of the president's veto.

6. Radio and Television Slang. something that is a dominant or major facet of a program or series, especially something that serves as a unifying theme.

   an entertainment series with a historical override.

override British  

/ ˌəʊvəˈraɪd /

verb

1. to set aside or disregard with superior authority or power

2. to supersede or annul

3. to dominate or vanquish by or as if by trampling down

4. to take manual control of (a system that is usually under automatic control)

5. to extend or pass over, esp to overlap

6. to ride (a horse) too hard

7. to ride over or across

---

noun

1. a device or system that can override an automatic control

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• overrides
  plural

Participles

• overriding
  present
• overridden
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• override
  simple
• overrides
  simple
• have overridden
  perfect
• has overridden
  perfect
• am overriding
  progressive
• are overriding
  progressive
• is overriding
  progressive
• have been overriding
  perfect progressive
• has been overriding
  perfect progressive

Past

• overrode
  simple
• had overridden
  perfect
• was overriding
  progressive
• were overriding
  progressive
• had been overriding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will override
  simple
• will have overridden
  perfect
• will be overriding
  progressive
• will have been overriding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of override

before 900; Middle English overriden to ride over or across, Old English oferrīdan. See over-, ride

Explanation

You can override or reject a decision if you're more powerful than the person who originally made the decision. And Congress has the power to override or nullify the Presidential veto if they have a two-thirds vote. The word override can be used in a number of contexts. You can override or ride on top of the grass. You can override a horse, or ride it too hard. An army can override or dominate the enemy in a war. And a judge can override or set aside a decision in court. Regardless of which meaning you're using, remember that the thing doing the overriding always has the upper hand.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

override overrides overrode overridden overriding

Earlier this month, a group of 100 firms, including Google, Microsoft, Anthropic and OpenAI, urged countries and groups to beef up their cyber defences before AI grows powerful enough to override them.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Instead, Batchik said, Icelanders decided the potential benefits of membership weren’t enough to override worries that joining the EU could undermine the country’s sovereignty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

If the account owner had a will leaving this bank account to a third party, it would generally not override a valid beneficiary designation.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

China has drawn up new safety rules for the growing number of autonomous vehicles on its roads, including a mandatory deactivation override, the government said Tuesday.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

Her husband was just as welcoming, possessing a magnanimous Texas spirit that seemed to override any political hard feelings.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

"Amazon overrides and replaces the actual auction results with higher prices set by Amazon to increase its profits," says a complaint filed in the company's home state of Washington.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

But an institution that overrides a noisy signal has taken on an obligation to produce better ones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

But according to the research of professor Richard Hasen, the rate of congressional overrides has steadily decreased over the years as Congress becomes slower and less productive with each passing term.

From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026

Breast cancer isn’t just a ‘pink’ disease; for men with a family history or genetic predisposition, a mammogram can be a lifesaving tool that overrides social stigma.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

My feet don’t move, but Ethan’s nudge at my elbow overrides a flurry of thoughts to flee.

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson

UnitedHealthcare overrode the prior authorization about 48 hours later, according to Noonan.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

One study found that Congress used to overturn several opinions practically every term, including a particularly effective 1991 Congress that overrode eight Supreme Court decisions.

From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026

In 2020 Pennsylvania’s state legislature overrode local ordinances and expanded the definition of “pedestrian” to include robots weighing up to 550 pounds and traveling up to 12 miles an hour.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

Last year, researchers at the UK's AI Security Institute found jailbreaks that overrode safeguards across a range of harmful requests in every AI system it tested.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

“I don’t care,” he interrupted in an even voice, so full of richness that it overrode all the others.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Cutler said this has a lower likelihood of being overridden by courts, noting Trump's top trade official Jamieson Greer had carefully navigated procedural requirements before imposing duties.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

In the past, board chairs have rarely, if ever, overridden the executives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s vice president of AI software, said on X that the driver had manually overridden the system by “by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100%.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026

"With all due respect to the Congress, when it reaches my desk, I will veto it," Lula told journalists last week, while acknowledging his veto could be overridden by the largely conservative Congress.

From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2025

Their twisted boughs, stooping to the ground, were overridden by a clambering maze of old briars.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

The law aims to prevent civil litigation overriding its climate policy and undermining business confidence, the government said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

As a political reporter, I came away from Comic Con with one overriding impression: If world politics were more like the comic book world, reality would be a safer, saner and healthier place.

From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026

In 2025 it enacted SB15, which provided for lot size flexibility in new residential subdivisions by overriding some minimum local lot-size requirements.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

The 2013 US Open champion said his "overriding emotion was disappointment at not being able to enjoy two more rounds".

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Their overriding con cern was assuring a comfortable after-life for their rulers, who were considered gods.

From "The Annotated Mona Lisa" by Carol Strickland and John Boswell

Related Words

• abrogate
• annul
• nullify
• quash
• reverse
• revoke
• veto