overturn
Americanverb (used with object)
-
overturns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overturned,
past participle, past
-
overturning
present participle
-
to cause (something) to turn onto its side, face, or back; upset.
to overturn a vase.
-
to destroy the power or validity of; overthrow; defeat: The new findings have not overturned the theory itself.
The conspiracy finally overturned the regime.
The new findings have not overturned the theory itself.
- Synonyms:
- conquer
-
to reverse (an official or legal decision).
Rather than accept defeat, the company filed a complaint in federal appeals court to overturn the ruling.
verb (used without object)
-
overturns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overturned,
past participle, past
-
overturning
present participle
noun
-
the act of overturning.
-
the state of being overturned.
verb
-
to turn or cause to turn from an upright or normal position
-
(tr) to overthrow or destroy
-
(tr) to invalidate; reverse
the bill was passed in the Commons but overturned in the Lords
noun
Synonym Usage
See upset.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overturnsimple
-
overturnssimple
-
have overturnedperfect
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has overturnedperfect
-
am overturningprogressive
-
are overturningprogressive
-
is overturningprogressive
-
have been overturningperfect progressive
-
has been overturningperfect progressive
Past
-
overturnedsimple
-
had overturnedperfect
-
was overturningprogressive
-
were overturningprogressive
-
had been overturningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overturn
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; see origin at over-, turn
Explanation
To overturn something is to either flip it upside down or to invalidate it. An amateur kayaker might overturn her boat, while a judge may decide to overturn a previous judgment. When you overturn a wheelbarrow or a tricycle, you literally turn it over. When judges overturn earlier rulings or voters overturn laws, they make them invalid, essentially reversing them. An earlier, more intense metaphorical meaning of this word was "violently overthrow a ruler or rulers." Overturn was originally used in the 13th century to describe a turning wheel.
Vocabulary lists containing overturn
Ban This Book
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This Week In Words: December 5–11, 2020
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5th Grade Government Vocabulary, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
Earlier work from Kipnis' laboratory helped overturn the long-standing idea that the brain was separated from the immune system.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
A judge is weighing whether to overturn the freeze, which takes effect early next month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
More than a dozen farmworkers across the nation, along with the United Farm Workers of America and the UFW Foundation, sought to overturn the rule.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
The duke had sought to overturn a decision that had downgraded his security after he stopped being a working royal and moved to the US.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
He was locked into a maintenance role: He was a custodian for the system who was unlikely to overturn the previous judgment, even if there was compelling evidence of innocence.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
This discovery overturns a long accepted assumption and suggests a new explanation for gallium's remarkably low melting point.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
The ruling overturns a case that had held sway for 91 years.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
The Federal Supreme Court therefore partially overturns the contested award and refers the case back to the CAS for a new ruling, taking into account the probative value of the audio-visual recording in question.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2026
Le Pen will be hoping the appeals court overturns the lower-court's verdict and clears her name and path to run for the highest office in France for the fourth time.
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2026
I thought of my mother’s lifelong warning to us children whenever we entered a boat: if it overturns, grab hold for dear life!
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Wise previously attempted to ban the insurers from issuing new policies, but a state judge overturned that order in 2025, the insurers said in their lawsuit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
About 39% of asylum appeal cases concluded between January 2026 to December 2026 resulted in a previous refusal decision being overturned.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
US federal judge Christopher Cooper previously ordered Trump's name removed from the exterior and overturned the board's decision to rename the institution.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
The vehicle overturned and fell about 40 to 50 feet below, according to authorities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
An overwhelming sense of relief flooded through his body, and he felt disjointed, like a bowl of overturned Jell-O—jiggly and without structure.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
The appeals court did not rule on the ultimate merits of the case but concluded the administration had not shown it was likely to succeed in overturning the injunction at this stage.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
Ashley Baxter said he was "baffled, disappointed and outraged" by the situation and said his council would explore ways of overturning the decision.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The Interior Department finalized the changes to its regulations last week, overturning five decades of precedent in how the law is interpreted.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Slaughter is the latest in a string of recent high-court decisions overturning or correcting bad precedents, usually by 6-3 votes—among them Lemon v.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
While Ralph and Ryan were enjoying a commercial for a truck that could zigzag without overturning, Matt strolled into a room called the Jumping Frog Lounge and returned with a handful of popcorn.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
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.
