overman

[ noun oh-ver-muhn for 1, oh-ver-man for 2; verb oh-ver-man ]

/ noun ˈoʊ vər mən for 1, ˈoʊ vərˌmæn for 2; verb ˌoʊ vərˈmæn /

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noun, plural o·ver·men

[oh-ver-muhn for 1; oh-ver-men for 2 ]. /ˈoʊ vər mən for 1; ˈoʊ vərˌmɛn for 2 /.

a foreman, supervisor, or overseer.

a superman.

verb (used with object), o·ver·manned, o·ver·man·ning.

to oversupply with men, especially for service: Indiscriminate hiring had overmanned the factory.

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Origin of overman

1200–1250; Middle English (noun); see over-, man

Words nearby overman

overlook, overlooked, overlooker, overlord, overly, overman, overmantel, overmaster, overmatch, overmatter, overmeasure

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use overman in a sentence

At this period, Simon Ford, the former overman of the Dochart pit, bore the weight of sixty-five years well.
The Underground City|Jules Verne
The racial will, as we have seen, must be taught to aim at the Overman.
Prophets of Dissent|Otto Heller
A superior tenant rarely sent more than two men to the bedrip, or two men and an overman, that is a foreman.
Nooks and Corners of English Life, Past and Present|John Timbs
But, on the other hand, I do believe that each one of us is going to grow into an Overman—in a quite different sense.
The Shadow of Life|Anne Douglas Sedgwick

She had seen him in his hour of strength, that hour when the overman makes half-gods out of mortals.
The Stolen Singer|Martha Idell Fletcher Bellinger

British Dictionary definitions for overman

overman

verb (ˌəʊvəˈmæn) -mans, -manning or -manned

(tr) to supply with an excessive number of men

noun (ˈəʊvəˌmæn) plural -men

a man who oversees others

the Nietzschean superman

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012