overhaul
Americanverb (used with object)
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overhauls,
present (3rd person singular)
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overhauled,
past participle, past
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overhauling
present participle
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to make necessary repairs on; restore to serviceable condition.
My car was overhauled by an expert mechanic.
-
to investigate or examine thoroughly for repair or revision.
Next year we're going to overhaul the curriculum.
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to gain upon, catch up with, or overtake, as in a race.
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to haul or turn over for examination.
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Nautical.
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to slacken (a rope) by hauling in the opposite direction to that in which the rope was drawn taut.
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to release the blocks of (a tackle).
-
noun
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overhauls
plural
verb
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to examine carefully for faults, necessary repairs, etc
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to make repairs or adjustments to (a car, machine, etc)
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to overtake
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overhaulsimple
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overhaulssimple
-
have overhauledperfect
-
has overhauledperfect
-
am overhaulingprogressive
-
are overhaulingprogressive
-
is overhaulingprogressive
-
have been overhaulingperfect progressive
-
has been overhaulingperfect progressive
Past
-
overhauledsimple
-
had overhauledperfect
-
was overhaulingprogressive
-
were overhaulingprogressive
-
had been overhaulingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overhaul
Explanation
To overhaul is to completely renovate, making major changes in order to repair. A few shutters and a new coat of paint won't come close to fixing that old, boarded-up house — it needs a complete overhaul. Back in the 1620s when the word was coined, overhaul described examining a fishing net to make sure there were no tears or big holes that would keep the fisherman from getting a big haul, or large amount of fish. Today, an overhaul is usually the result of such a close examination — like the overhaul that some people want to make to American public schools, or the overhaul an old car needs to keep it on the road.
Vocabulary lists containing overhaul
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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:
Burger King has recently outpaced McDonald’s and Wendy’s in sales and visit growth following an overhaul of its Whopper and restaurant upgrades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
John Driscoll knows it’s going to take a major overhaul to fix Social Security — and he’s willing to pay up.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
It plans to overhaul its six tech themes to add artificial intelligence and robotics to the list, which would also include digital platforms, advanced hardware, cloud, and frontier technology.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
The protesters have been demonstrating for over two weeks now, demanding an overhaul of Jharkhand's government exam system.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
In spite of the complete overhaul that your mind is crying for, you have a brain that could really grow and flower here in N.Y.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
The stock declines have made software companies attractive opportunities for private-equity firms looking to acquire assets at a discount, perform strategic business overhauls and then exit at a markup.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Burger chains have been working to elevate their signature sandwiches, with both McDonald’s and Burger King staging overhauls in recent years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
With a knockout-round berth already secure, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino overhauls his lineup, but the changes didn’t work in a 3-2 loss to Turkey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Austin’s housing market improved with a 19% drop in rents and home prices since 2022, following zoning law overhauls.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
A silence overhauls us, and the voice leaves me completely There’s no more breathing at the other end.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Shortly before Friday's showpiece event, Hughes had led the 200m final coming off the bend but was overhauled by Germany's fast-finishing Owen Ansah, who took victory in 19.95 seconds.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Despite being overhauled and pipped to silver by her team-mate in a dramatic finish, Hodgkinson celebrated together with Hunter Bell on the track.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Company president said the revamped burger was helping win market share; McDonald’s recently overhauled the Big Mac.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Meta has been consistently criticized for its spending levels over the past few quarters as the company has overhauled its AI strategy with the creation of Meta Superintelligence Labs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
He overhauled ethics rules governing White House employees’ interactions with lobbyists and, most important, managed to push a major economic stimulus bill through Congress, even though not a single House Republican voted in its favor.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
VideoAmp isn’t the only vendor overhauling its business model to survive the rise of AI agents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
In the same week that the pair were ranting over historical “accuracy,” Michael Kratsios, the president’s science adviser, proposed overhauling the government’s approach to funding the sciences.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
That comes as President Bola Tinubu has engaged in a raft of reforms, hailed by economists and investors, including liberalising the naira currency exchange rate, overhauling the tax code and removing a costly fuel subsidy.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
The move was not huge, but it shows the sensitivities at a moment when Burnham is overhauling his cabinet.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
There was a flurry of overhauling and painting and mending to be done.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
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.
