overstep
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Etymology
Origin of overstep
before 1000; Middle English oversteppen, Old English ofersteppan. See over-, step
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.
But after decades of interacting with others, I trust my instincts not to overstep, to know when to stay in my own lane when the other lane doesn’t seem receptive.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
Manager Chris Wilder said his players did not "overstep the mark" and dismissed the incident as something that happens "at every club up and down the country, three or four times a year".
From BBC • Nov. 24, 2025
Our three-branch system of government relies on each branch serving as a check on the other branches' power, ensuring that they don't overstep their authority and boundaries.
From Salon • Feb. 14, 2025
“The guidelines are just really a huge overstep I think in my opinion,” Bean told WXYZ-TV.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 12, 2024
Relief washes over me that Mom didn’t overstep, but now I feel stupid, because I’ve just given her dirt on me that I didn’t want her to have.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
