overshoot
Americanverb (used with object)
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overshoots,
present (3rd person singular)
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overshot,
past participle, past
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overshooting
present participle
-
to shoot or go over, beyond, or above; miss.
The missile overshot its target.
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to pass or go by or beyond (a point, limit, etc.).
to overshoot a stop sign.
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to shoot or pour down over.
turbulent water overshooting the top of the dam.
-
to overreach (oneself or itself); go further than is intended or proper; go too far.
It looked as though his self-confidence had overshot itself.
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(of an aircraft or pilot) to fly too far along (a landing strip) in attempting to land.
verb (used without object)
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overshoots,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overshot,
past participle, past
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overshooting
present participle
-
to fly or go beyond.
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to shoot over or above a mark.
noun
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a shooting beyond a specified point or target.
two overshoots in the missile test series.
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the amount of excessive distance in a trajectory or route.
a two-mile overshoot on the artillery range.
verb
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to shoot or go beyond (a mark or target)
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to cause (an aircraft) to fly or taxi too far along (a runway) during landing or taking off, or (of an aircraft) to fly or taxi too far along a runway
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(tr) to pass swiftly over or down over, as water over a wheel
noun
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an act or instance of overshooting
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the extent of such overshooting
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a momentary excessive response of an electrical or mechanical system
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overshootsimple
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overshootssimple
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have overshotperfect
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has overshotperfect
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am overshootingprogressive
-
are overshootingprogressive
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is overshootingprogressive
-
have been overshootingperfect progressive
-
has been overshootingperfect progressive
Past
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overshotsimple
-
had overshotperfect
-
was overshootingprogressive
-
were overshootingprogressive
-
had been overshootingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overshoot
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English oversheten, overshoten; over- + shoot 1 ( def. )
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:
He said the borrowing overshoot "will probably get bigger" this year as economic growth slows and the government rolls out more measures to support households with the cost of living.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
At the same time, economists warn that aggressive spending on data-center construction and equipment increases the risk that the build-out and the costs will overshoot the demand for data-center capacity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
According to the study, dependence on fossil fuels has temporarily hidden the effects of ecological overshoot by supporting food production, industrial growth, and energy supplies.
From Science Daily ● May 27, 2026
It remains entirely conceivable that our mid-year forecast of the 4.5% area is very achievable, but for now we’re undeniably looking up in yield, and we remain in an overshoot tendency,” he said.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
Someone is there with a kidney dish, but I overshoot and hear liquid splash across the floor, splattering against the wall.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Investors think that, despite five years of overshoots, the central bank will keep inflation on target in the long run.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
The implication is clear: Central banks are preparing the public for a world in which inflation persistently overshoots 2%.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
Even if the company overshoots its needs, it would “simply grow into the capacity over time,” he added.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 11, 2026
All in all, the dog’s extreme appearance overshoots “cute” and lands firmly in “unsettling” territory.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2023
But such is deservedly the frequent fate of cunning, which, while it plots surprise and detection of others, commonly overshoots its mark, and ends in its own disgrace.
From Cecilia; Or, Memoirs of an Heiress — Volume 1 by Fanny Burney
Five people have died after Amazon cargo plane overshot the runway at Miami International Airport.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
“While the single-family-home market is still recovering from the COVID-era shock, the condo market has overshot its baseline considerably,” Berner said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
“We believe the market has overshot to the downside,” ING’s Warren Patterson said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
The two had a second incident at Turn Eight on the same lap, where Antonelli tried to overtake on the inside but overshot the corner and lost second place to McLaren's Lando Norris.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
But she overshot slightly, and her momentum throws her forward.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
Airlines, regulators and aerospace manufacturers have worked to stamp out deadly accidents resulting from overshooting runways, mistakenly flying into terrain or failures in aircraft structures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Christine Idzelis compared this year’s jump in yields with previous periods of bond-market turmoil and considered whether bond investors are overshooting the mark as they anticipate further interest-rate increases by the Federal Reserve.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
That forecast sees inflation overshooting the ECB's two-percent inflation target this year and next.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda noted board members are concerned about prices overshooting due to higher energy costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
She was overshooting the building Flailing in the grasp of the jacket, flying helplessly upward and then down again, she passed the roofs edge.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
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.
