overstep

[ oh-ver-step ]

/ ˌoʊ vərˈstɛp /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR overstep ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), o·ver·stepped, o·ver·step·ping.

to go beyond; exceed: to overstep one's authority.

Nearby words

overstate, overstatement, overstay, overstayer, oversteer, overstep, overstitch, overstock, overstood, overstory, overstress

Origin of overstep

before 1000; Middle English oversteppen, Old English ofersteppan. See over-, step

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for overstep

I'd enjoy seeing a trillion dollar coin minted purely for the deservedly righteous indignation such an overstep would create.
Why Not Mint a 100 Trillion Dollar Platinum Coin?||January 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Will they overstep and abuse their mandate, turning themselves into a perfect foil for a resurgent Barack Obama?
Capitol Hill's New Ruling Class|Lloyd Grove|November 3, 2010|DAILY BEAST
There, he sold a number of political caricatures that were careful not to overstep Nazi lines.
When Hitler Was a Punchline|Rudolph Herzog|May 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The limitations of an art are in reality its strength and to overstep its boundaries means to weaken it.
The Photoplay|Hugo Mnsterberg

He knew just how far it was proper for him to go, and never once did he overstep those bounds.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
If we overstep the limit this country will get too hot for us.
Oh, You Tex!|William Macleod Raine
But does it not depend upon their caprice alone to overstep these bounds?
Egmont|Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
But those of us who overstep the border become preposterous in the eyes of those who have never done so.
Bat Wing|Sax Rohmer

British Dictionary definitions for overstep

overstep

/ (ˌəʊvəˈstɛp) /

verb -steps, -stepping or -stepped

(tr) to go beyond (a certain or proper limit)

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 overstep

overstep

Old English ofersteppan "to step over or beyond, cross, exceed;" see over- + step (v.). From the beginning used in figurative senses. Related: Overstepped; overstepping.

overstep

verb (used with object), o·ver·stepped, o·ver·step·ping.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of overstep

Examples from the Web for overstep

British Dictionary definitions for overstep

overstep

verb -steps, -stepping or -stepped

Word Origin and History for overstep

overstep