overman
Americannoun
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overmen
plural
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a foreman, supervisor, or overseer.
-
a superman.
verb (used with object)
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overmans,
present (3rd person singular)
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overmanned,
past participle, past
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overmanning
present participle
verb
noun
-
a man who oversees others
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the Nietzschean superman
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overmansimple
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overmanssimple
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have overmannedperfect
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has overmannedperfect
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am overmanningprogressive
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are overmanningprogressive
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is overmanningprogressive
-
have been overmanningperfect progressive
-
has been overmanningperfect progressive
Past
-
overmannedsimple
-
had overmannedperfect
-
was overmanningprogressive
-
were overmanningprogressive
-
had been overmanningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overman
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 overwhelming tendency was to deploy one at the back and one in midfield, a 3-5-2 that allowed a side to overman in the centre of its defensive and midfield thirds.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 21, 2017
The 36-year-old was an overman, the third in rank of the officers down the pit.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2016
Ulric received his instructions in silence and remained behind with Lawrence, while the others, conducted by the overman, began the descent.
From Success and How He Won It by E. T. C. (Edward Theodore Chalmers) Werner
"Yes, Mr. Starr, he is a good and affectionate son," replied the old overman earnestly.
From The Underground City, or, the Child of the Cavern by Jules Verne
As to the old overman, he was already convinced.
From The Underground City, or, the Child of the Cavern by Jules Verne
Like any great short story, Scholz’s shows us the truth: Half-assed overmen rule the clever beasts.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2023
The old gentleman asked me to take a few overmen a trip.
From Looking Seaward Again by Walter Runciman
Their kings and their tyrants alike were just men set in front of other men or usurping a leadership; they were not quasi-divine overmen like Pharaoh or Minos or the monarchs of Mesopotamia.
From A Short History of the World by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Then the overmen of the different pits came forward to shake hands with him, whilst the miners waved their caps, shouting, "Farewell, James Starr, our master and our friend!"
From The Underground City, or, the Child of the Cavern by Jules Verne
Heartrending were the wailings and shrieks and moanings which arose at this announcement, confirmed by the viewer and overmen.
From The Mines and its Wonders by William Henry Giles Kingston
“We’re not playing great all the time, we’re a little overmanned at times.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 18, 2022
As soon as I saw Google, I lost the will to read because I was so overmanned.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2016
The late Alan Walters, her chief economic adviser, believed a key source of inflation and the weak economy was the amount of taxpayers' money being poured into overmanned, old-fashioned, government-owned industry.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 22, 2014
Poor countries also benefit from moving workers out of overmanned farms and into factories, where they are many times more productive.
From Economist ● Feb. 14, 2013
The 'Virginia City Enterprise' was not overmanned, and the new-comer did all sorts of odd jobs, finding time now and then to write a sketch which seemed important enough to permit of his signature.
From Inquiries and Opinions by Brander Matthews
Organized labor, in turn, will have to be more flexible on wages and be willing to give up rigid work rules that lead to overmanning and inefficiency.
From Time Magazine Archive
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The rescue plan, however, does not call for cutting back employment, though overmanning is one of Leyland's chief handicaps.
From Time Magazine Archive
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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.