overrule
Americanverb (used with object)
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to rule against or disallow the arguments of (a person).
The senator was overruled by the committee chairman.
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to rule or decide against (a plea, argument, etc.); reject.
to overrule an objection.
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to prevail over so as to change the purpose or action.
a delay that overruled our plans.
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to exercise control or influence over.
belief in a beneficent deity that overrules the universe.
verb
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to disallow the arguments of (a person) by the use of authority
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to rule or decide against (an argument, decision, etc)
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to prevail over, dominate, or influence
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to exercise rule over
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overrulesimple
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overrulessimple
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have overruledperfect
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has overruledperfect
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am overrulingprogressive
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are overrulingprogressive
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is overrulingprogressive
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have been overrulingperfect progressive
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has been overrulingperfect progressive
Past
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overruledsimple
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had overruledperfect
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was overrulingprogressive
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were overrulingprogressive
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had been overrulingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overrule
Explanation
In a court of law, when a judge overrules, she disagrees with an attorney's objection and allows the opposing side to go ahead with a line of questioning. In courtroom dramas, you'll hear lawyers yelling, "Objection!" followed by a judge declaring, "Overruled!" When the court overrules an objection, they're considering the legality of what the opposing attorney was saying and whether the objection was legitimate. If there was a valid legal reason to object, the judge would say, "Sustained." Judges can also overrule previous decisions made by lower courts. Before gaining its legal meaning, overrule simply meant "rule over or govern."
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:
The majority then declared, “If anything more is left of Humphrey’s, we overrule it.”
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
Kennedy, though, did not even formally overrule Lemon.
From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2026
Smith said he showed jurors that Moore lied when the ex-chief, who retired in 2024, testified that he hadn’t sought to overrule a disciplinary panel’s decision in Mehringer’s case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
Reddit also employs admins who can overrule moderators and delete subreddits.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026
I looked to the white manager, hoping that he might overrule Piliso, but he was as still as a statue and seemed as intimidated as we were.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Slaughter, the majority opinion said the “Humphrey’s framework has not withstood the test of time” and the court therefore overrules it.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
The ruling overrules a previous Supreme Court judgment ruling known as Cheshire West.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
The agency overrules Vinay Prasad’s refusal to consider Moderna’s shot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
Shirani's results indicate that the fact that the active catalytic subunit overrules its inhibitory components is what's important, not a structural change in the kinase itself.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2024
In each case a two-thirds vote overrules his veto.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 3 "Destructors" to "Diameter" by Various
A czar who can be overruled overnight on the central tactics of his own operation is not a czar.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
His body will not be overruled by a blackout blind.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
The only other time a red-card suspension was overruled during a World Cup was in 1962, when Brazilian attacker Garrincha was allowed to play in the final after Brazil’s prime minister lobbied on his behalf.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Dr. Prasad had overruled career staff by summarily refusing to review Moderna’s application.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Xenocrates overruled all objections in the interest of speeding up the day’s proceedings.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Nick, from Warrington: All this talk of overruling VAR's recommendation for Cunha's goal, but it's actually refreshing to see a referee take ownership of a decision and stand by it.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
It declared that if a Supreme Court precedent “has direct application in a case,” the lower court must “follow the case which directly controls, leaving to this court the prerogative of overruling its own decisions.”
From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2026
Vinay Prasad, the head of the FDA vaccine and biologics division, issued the refusal, overruling FDA staff concerns about blocking a review.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026
In reality, the chair’s power lies in agenda-setting, coalition-building, and communication, not in overruling the committee.
From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026
“I am overruling these guards on this matter! You are obviously a part of this—of this conspiracy plot. I'm taking you in for questioning immediately!”
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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.
