overstep
Americanverb (used with object)
-
oversteps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overstepped,
past participle, past
-
overstepping
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overstepsimple
-
overstepssimple
-
have oversteppedperfect
-
has oversteppedperfect
-
am oversteppingprogressive
-
are oversteppingprogressive
-
is oversteppingprogressive
-
have been oversteppingperfect progressive
-
has been oversteppingperfect progressive
Past
-
oversteppedsimple
-
had oversteppedperfect
-
was oversteppingprogressive
-
were oversteppingprogressive
-
had been oversteppingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
Pike testified that it was not his job “to overstep and tell him what to do. He earned that rank.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026
Some point out it’s a small percentage of visitors who overstep.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 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
"I always wanted to respect that and not overstep any boundaries. Which I think she was in that way, just like her character on TV."
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2024
I overstep all of my own boundaries when I'm with you.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
Society loses sight of human reality “when the economy turns against the person or science oversteps the limits of its competence,” he writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Hikari channels that quality to good use in “Rental Family” but never oversteps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2025
In the annals of strategic oversteps in America’s post-9/11 forever war, our shoeless airport security lines will go down as a footnote.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2025
Watch as England miss three big chances to pick up Australian wickets as Jonny Bairstow misses a stumping and drops a catch and Stuart Broad oversteps after bowling Usman Khawaja.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2023
“Someone tend the babe before he oversteps himself,” the noble said to the crowd.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued in December and argued that the president had overstepped his authority.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
"The Court has concluded that the Board overstepped its statutory bounds by unilaterally renaming the Kennedy Center after President Trump," Judge Christopher Cooper ruled.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
Moggach added that Linden was now aware that his behaviour "simply was unacceptable and he overstepped certain boundaries."
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
The court ruled 6-3 that Mr. Trump overstepped his authority by using emergency powers to bypass Congress and impose tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico to address trade imbalances and stop drug smuggling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
For a moment I thought I had overstepped my limits.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
The mission directors then sued Unilever for overstepping its rights.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Talk to some folks in your family whom you trust to make sure you’re not overstepping any unspoken boundaries that underlie family relationships.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 15, 2025
The company has ignored commission demands that it cease work and has filed suit against the commission, accusing it of overstepping its authority.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2025
A: Sometimes, you have to be direct with people who are overstepping.
From Seattle Times ● May 2, 2024
In spite of his parents’ sanction he feels that he is overstepping them, correcting a mistake they’ve made.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
