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 amendment was originally ratified in the wake of the Civil War specifically to overrule the infamy of the Dred Scott decision.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
They’ve also been intentional with how they leverage Luke Kennard, running actions that overrule his reluctance to shoot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
Reddit also employs admins who can overrule moderators and delete subreddits.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026
They can also overrule parliament’s upper house if the two chambers clash on legislation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
No influence, no friends I could call upon in that place, no way to overrule the powers that governed our lives.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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
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
Or does the sign proclaim that love overrules and, if so, over what?
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2024
Everybody has opinions, and overrules the "jedge" next day, or not, as the case may be.
From Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Volume 7 Little Journeys to the Homes of Eminent Orators by Elbert Hubbard
Pels, the DOJ spokesperson, told ProPublica that Faruqui “was wrong on the law” and noted that after the government appealed to the district’s chief judge, his order was overruled.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
His body will not be overruled by a blackout blind.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
A UC faculty task force recommended keeping the SAT in 2020, but the regents overruled it and voted to develop a UC-specific test that a committee later determined would take too long to create.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Tortorella did make an iffy move in Game 2, asking referees to review a late overruled goal—officials rejected Las Vegas’s appeal, leading to a penalty, a Carolina power-play and a game-tying Canes goal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
But my mother overruled him, so the wall was enshrined.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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
In reality, the chair’s power lies in agenda-setting, coalition-building, and communication, not in overruling the committee.
From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026
“There must have been an overruling in Moscow,” Bundy said.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
