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
-
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:
Discoveries like these helped overturn the image of Neanderthals that prevailed during the Victorian era, when they were often portrayed as primitive, brutish, and less than fully human.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
There is precedent for this; after the 18th Amendment, which banned the sale of alcohol, was ratified, it took another amendment, the 21st, to overturn Prohibition.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026
And in that interview he discussed why he thinks it unlikely the court will overturn the marriage equality decision, Obergefell.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
The FCA said it would need to decide what to do next if the courts decided to overturn the programme.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
I overturn my hamper and riffle through dirty clothes and sheets, looking for the pants I wore four days ago.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
However, the KMI Panel unanimously supported the non-VAR intervention, stating that it was "in keeping with the high threshold for VAR overturns".
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 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
The decision overturns the seizure of Nexperia by Karremans’ ministry from its Chinese owner, Wingtech Technology, late in September.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 19, 2025
This finding overturns the usual expectation that improving quantum clocks requires better quantum components.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 17, 2025
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
Figueroa’s conviction was overturned by the state Supreme Court in 2018, citing false evidence in the original trial.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
There’s established law there, and trial courts have, on the whole, held, and when they haven’t, they’ve been admonished or overturned on appeal.
From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026
Last month, the Parades Commission decided that the march could go ahead on 27 September with restrictions in place after its original decision to stop the march was overturned in court.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Scotland's courts overturned the approval following a challenge from environmental campaigners.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
But I did think getting a more informed view of Walter's conviction and the murder would make his life after release less dangerous—assuming we could ever get his conviction overturned.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
The court said Swisscom’s network expansion didn’t breach of competition law, overturning a Competition Commission ruling as well as a $21.6 million fine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
According to the traditional explanation, the added salt encourages the formation of North Atlantic Deep Water, which helps sustain Atlantic overturning.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
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
Together, those processes can make the water heavy enough to sink into the deep ocean, helping to drive the AMOC's overturning flow.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
According to Desdemona, my grandfather collapsed right after overturning his coffee cup to read his fortune in the grounds.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
