overrule
Americanverb (used with object)
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overrules,
present (3rd person singular)
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overruled,
past participle, past
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overruling
present participle
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to rule against or disallow the arguments of (a person).
The senator was overruled by the committee chairman.
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to rule or decide against (a plea, argument, etc.); reject.
to overrule an objection.
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to prevail over so as to change the purpose or action.
a delay that overruled our plans.
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to exercise control or influence over.
belief in a beneficent deity that overrules the universe.
verb
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to disallow the arguments of (a person) by the use of authority
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to rule or decide against (an argument, decision, etc)
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to prevail over, dominate, or influence
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to exercise rule over
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overrulesimple
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overrulessimple
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have overruledperfect
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has overruledperfect
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am overrulingprogressive
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are overrulingprogressive
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is overrulingprogressive
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have been overrulingperfect progressive
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has been overrulingperfect progressive
Past
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overruledsimple
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had overruledperfect
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was overrulingprogressive
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were overrulingprogressive
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had been overrulingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overrule
Explanation
In a court of law, when a judge overrules, she disagrees with an attorney's objection and allows the opposing side to go ahead with a line of questioning. In courtroom dramas, you'll hear lawyers yelling, "Objection!" followed by a judge declaring, "Overruled!" When the court overrules an objection, they're considering the legality of what the opposing attorney was saying and whether the objection was legitimate. If there was a valid legal reason to object, the judge would say, "Sustained." Judges can also overrule previous decisions made by lower courts. Before gaining its legal meaning, overrule simply meant "rule over or govern."
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:
The majority then declared, “If anything more is left of Humphrey’s, we overrule it.”
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
She did overrule him, though, on a flowerscape he described as “minimal ’90s, minimal Japanese, minimalist Charlie Sheen in ‘Wall Street’ vibes.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
Kennedy, though, did not even formally overrule Lemon.
From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2026
In rare cases they can overrule the results of an assessment if they still have concerns about a player's performance in it or there was an error in administering it.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026
The stewards wanted him to overrule his trainer.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Government overrules popular perceptions as its needs require.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Slaughter, the majority opinion said the “Humphrey’s framework has not withstood the test of time” and the court therefore overrules it.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
The ruling overrules a previous Supreme Court judgment ruling known as Cheshire West.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
Shirani's results indicate that the fact that the active catalytic subunit overrules its inhibitory components is what's important, not a structural change in the kinase itself.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2024
For Life controls matter, and to a great extent overrules its combinations.
From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. 22, March, 1852, Volume 4. by
Under the current structure, that senator can’t easily be overruled and pushed aside.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
A czar who can be overruled overnight on the central tactics of his own operation is not a czar.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
His body will not be overruled by a blackout blind.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
The only other time a red-card suspension was overruled during a World Cup was in 1962, when Brazilian attacker Garrincha was allowed to play in the final after Brazil’s prime minister lobbied on his behalf.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
When she debated the unit’s mission with him, he always overruled her.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
After oral arguments in the spring, the three judges issued a complex decision affirming Carter’s finding of discrimination but overruling his order invalidating UCLA’s lease for its baseball stadium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Another warning sign, she said: a project manager overruling the CEO about the payment method.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Nick, from Warrington: All this talk of overruling VAR's recommendation for Cunha's goal, but it's actually refreshing to see a referee take ownership of a decision and stand by it.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
It led, in the first phase, to the overruling of Bowers, in the Lawrence case, then progressed from there to Obergefell some years later.
From Slate ● Mar. 4, 2026
“I am overruling these guards on this matter! You are obviously a part of this—of this conspiracy plot. I'm taking you in for questioning immediately!”
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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.
