override

American  

[oh-ver-rahyd, oh-ver-rahyd] / ˌoʊ vərˈraɪd, ˈoʊ vərˌraɪd /

verb (used with object)

• overrides,
  present (3rd person singular)
• overrode,
  past
• overridden,
  past participle
• overriding
  present participle

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

• overrides
  plural

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.

override British  

/ ˌəʊvəˈraɪd /

verb

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

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• overrides
  plural

Participles

• overriding
  present
• overridden
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• override
  simple
• overrides
  simple
• have overridden
  perfect
• has overridden
  perfect
• am overriding
  progressive
• are overriding
  progressive
• is overriding
  progressive
• have been overriding
  perfect progressive
• has been overriding
  perfect progressive

Past

• overrode
  simple
• had overridden
  perfect
• was overriding
  progressive
• were overriding
  progressive
• had been overriding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will override
  simple
• will have overridden
  perfect
• will be overriding
  progressive
• will have been overriding
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of override

before 900; Middle English overriden to ride over or across, Old English oferrīdan. See over-, ride

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Explanation

You can override or reject a decision if you're more powerful than the person who originally made the decision. And Congress has the power to override or nullify the Presidential veto if they have a two-thirds vote. The word override can be used in a number of contexts. You can override or ride on top of the grass. You can override a horse, or ride it too hard. An army can override or dominate the enemy in a war. And a judge can override or set aside a decision in court. Regardless of which meaning you're using, remember that the thing doing the overriding always has the upper hand.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

override overrides overrode overridden overriding

Usually, federal laws are deemed to be the “supreme law” and override state laws that are in conflict.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

His political platform remains staunchly centrist, and the image isn’t enough to override the lack of message.

From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026

But even a trust can’t override a beneficiary designation on a retirement account without triggering significant tax consequences.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

This paves the way for rarely used powers to override objections from peers should they refuse to pass it again.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

But the rebel techno team manages to override even the latter and, in a real coup, keeps control for almost the entire attack on Snow.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Limited overrides are permitted for merging or emergency maneuvers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

What overrides everything is that you have enough for a comfortable life today and that you can withstand emergencies down the road, and you look in pretty good shape for that.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

Friday's ruling by the Constitutional Council overrides the ban, which Emmanuel Macron had pledged would be introduced in stages from September.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

But according to the research of professor Richard Hasen, the rate of congressional overrides has steadily decreased over the years as Congress becomes slower and less productive with each passing term.

From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026

“Well, in a sense. However, the mission I am on overrides all personal debts and loyalties.”

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

The International Court of Justice found historical ties of allegiance but no territorial sovereignty that overrode the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

One study found that Congress used to overturn several opinions practically every term, including a particularly effective 1991 Congress that overrode eight Supreme Court decisions.

From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026

However, Tesla argues that the driver manually overrode the technology.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

But Mr. Adams overrode Mr. Lander and approved the deal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026

“I don’t care,” he interrupted in an even voice, so full of richness that it overrode all the others.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

But it was a few, not a majority, and their fears were overridden by an originally concerned J. Robert Oppenheimer, the project’s director, after consulting with other scientists and reviewing their calculations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Cutler said this has a lower likelihood of being overridden by courts, noting Trump's top trade official Jamieson Greer had carefully navigated procedural requirements before imposing duties.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s vice president of AI software, said on X that the driver had manually overridden the system by “by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100%.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026

"With all due respect to the Congress, when it reaches my desk, I will veto it," Lula told journalists last week, while acknowledging his veto could be overridden by the largely conservative Congress.

From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2025

Only Florida and Alabama allowed the jury's decision to be overridden by a judge—and Florida later put restrictions on the practice that severely curtailed it.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

GOLDIN: There’s an overriding sense of lack of purposefulness and this drowning in content that you’re constantly being fed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

"They have implemented AI... which is not tested," Ahamed said, arguing that the technology risks overriding the judgement of local officials familiar with voters and communities.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

But as soon as the cast is set in motion, the overriding impression is that of a manifesto springing into a college vaudeville.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Lewis Hamilton apologised to his Ferrari team after overriding the pit wall and choosing his own strategy during the Singapore Grand Prix.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

The air is warm on my bare back, and my breath comes in short pants, my embarrassment almost overriding my fear.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

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Related Words

• abrogate
• annul
• nullify
• quash
• reverse
• revoke
• veto

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