overhaul
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make necessary repairs on; restore to serviceable condition.
My car was overhauled by an expert mechanic.
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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).
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noun
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
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has overhauledperfect 3rd person singular
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have overhauledperfect
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am overhaulingprogressive 1st person singular
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is overhaulingprogressive 3rd person singular
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overhaulingparticiple
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are overhaulingprogressive
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has been overhaulingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been overhaulingperfect progressive
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overhaulssingular 3rd person
Past
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had overhauledperfect
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were overhaulingprogressive plural
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was overhaulingprogressive singular
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overhauledparticiple
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had been overhaulingperfect progressive
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overhauledsimple
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
This Week in Words: November 26 - December 1, 2017
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"A Place to Call Home," Vocabulary from the research study
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I, Robot
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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.
Appeared in the January 5, 2019, print edition as 'PG&E Plans To Overhaul Its Board.'
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2019
A 2014 report from the National Employment Law Project, "The Big Rig Overhaul" estimated wage and hour law violations in the range of $787 million to $998 million each year.
From Salon • Oct. 7, 2018
Overhaul of the 13-year-old No Child Left Behind, the principal federal K-12 education law, is long overdue.
From Washington Post • Jul. 17, 2015
Overhaul of defensive line kicks into high gear, with rookie second-rounder Lawrence possible heir to Ware, free agent Melton trying to show he’s recovered from knee surgery.
From Washington Times • Jul. 17, 2014
Overhaul the—Well,' said the Captain on second thoughts, 'I ain't quite certain where that's to be found, but when found, make a note of.
From Dombey and Son by Dickens, Charles
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.
