oversight
Americannoun
-
an omission or error due to carelessness.
My bank statement is full of oversights.
-
unintentional failure to notice or consider; lack of proper attention.
Owing to my oversight, the letter was sent unsigned.
-
supervision; watchful care.
a person responsible for the oversight of the organization.
- Synonyms:
- surveillance, control, direction, management
noun
-
an omission or mistake, esp one made through failure to notice something
-
supervision
Etymology
Origin of oversight
Explanation
An oversight is a mistake you make when you're not paying full attention. Your failure to add the sugar to the cookies was an unfortunate oversight — you were so engrossed in texting that you forgot it. Oversights are not intentional mistakes. Usually they're just the result of inattention. If you make an oversight in your inspection of a nuclear power plant and it later goes into meltdown, you'll get fired. An inspector is supposed to pay attention. But if you forgot your cousin's birthday because you're busy taking care of Grandma, that's a forgivable oversight. Oversight is also the act of supervising something, like the construction of a dam, or a high school prom.
Vocabulary lists containing oversight
Two-Faced Words: Contronyms
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This Week in Words: January 27 - February 2, 2018
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100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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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.
He packed oversight commissions with appointees who would rubber-stamp his delusions of grandeur and did the same with the Kennedy Center, whose new board promptly renamed the performing arts venue for him.
From Slate • May 18, 2026
Others say a lack of oversight is compounding the issue.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
While many of the details were already known, the reports reaffirmed that individual screeners underperformed and that leadership and oversight were lacking when things were going wrong.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
Private credit is growing rapidly in the EU, prompting calls for increased oversight from European Central Bank officials.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
"My oversight brings up an important point, friends," says the director.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
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.
