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override

[verb oh-ver-rahyd; noun oh-ver-rahyd]
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verb (used with object), o·ver·rode, o·ver·rid·den, o·ver·rid·ing.
  1. to prevail or have dominance over; have final authority or say over; overrule: to override one's advisers.
  2. to disregard, set aside, or nullify; countermand: to override the board's veto.
  3. to take precedence over; preempt or supersede: to override any other considerations.
  4. to extend beyond or spread over; overlap.
  5. to modify or suspend the ordinary functioning of; alter the normal operation of.
  6. to ride over or across.
  7. to ride past or beyond.
  8. to trample or crush; ride down.
  9. to ride (a horse) too much.
  10. Fox Hunting. to ride too closely behind (the hounds).
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noun
  1. a commission on sales or profits, especially one paid at the executive or managerial level.
  2. budgetary or expense increase; exceeding of an estimate: work stoppage because of cost overrides.
  3. an ability or allowance to correct, change, supplement, or suspend the operation of an otherwise automatic mechanism, system, etc.
  4. an auxiliary device for such modification, as a special manual control.
  5. an act of nullifying, canceling, or setting aside: a congressional override of the president's veto.
  6. Radio and Television Slang. something that is a dominant or major facet of a program or series, especially something that serves as a unifying theme: an entertainment series with a historical override.
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Origin of override

before 900; Middle English overriden to ride over or across, Old English oferrīdan. See over-, ride
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for override

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • I yield to no man in my sense of duty, and I allow no private considerations to override it.

    The Snare

    Rafael Sabatini

  • Yet how was it possible for him to stand ready, for her sake, to override the laws of his own land?

    The Princess Virginia

    C. N. Williamson

  • He did not distrust her; he only feared her ability to override the difficulties of her mission.

  • He supplied the trappings of science, without the authority to override O'Donnell.

    The Leech

    Phillips Barbee

  • Security is the primary, which must override the secondary, aim.

British Dictionary definitions for override

override

verb -rides, -riding, -rode or -ridden (tr)
  1. to set aside or disregard with superior authority or power
  2. to supersede or annul
  3. to dominate or vanquish by or as if by trampling down
  4. to take manual control of (a system that is usually under automatic control)
  5. to extend or pass over, esp to overlap
  6. to ride (a horse) too hard
  7. to ride over or across
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noun
  1. a device or system that can override an automatic control
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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

Word Origin and History for override

v.

Old English oferridan "to ride across," from ofer "over" (see over) + ridan "to ride" (see ride (v.)). Originally literal, of cavalry, etc. Figurative meaning "to set aside arrogantly" is from 1827. The mechanical sense "to suspend automatic operation" is attested from 1946. As a noun in this sense from 1946. Related: Overrode; overriding; overridden.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper