overturn
Americanverb (used with object)
-
overturns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overturned,
past participle, past
-
overturning
present participle
-
to cause (something) to turn onto its side, face, or back; upset.
to overturn a vase.
-
to destroy the power or validity of; overthrow; defeat: The new findings have not overturned the theory itself.
The conspiracy finally overturned the regime.
The new findings have not overturned the theory itself.
- Synonyms:
- conquer
-
to reverse (an official or legal decision).
Rather than accept defeat, the company filed a complaint in federal appeals court to overturn the ruling.
verb (used without object)
-
overturns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overturned,
past participle, past
-
overturning
present participle
noun
-
the act of overturning.
-
the state of being overturned.
verb
-
to turn or cause to turn from an upright or normal position
-
(tr) to overthrow or destroy
-
(tr) to invalidate; reverse
the bill was passed in the Commons but overturned in the Lords
noun
Synonym Usage
See upset.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overturnsimple
-
overturnssimple
-
have overturnedperfect
-
has overturnedperfect
-
am overturningprogressive
-
are overturningprogressive
-
is overturningprogressive
-
have been overturningperfect progressive
-
has been overturningperfect progressive
Past
-
overturnedsimple
-
had overturnedperfect
-
was overturningprogressive
-
were overturningprogressive
-
had been overturningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overturn
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; see origin at over-, turn
Explanation
To overturn something is to either flip it upside down or to invalidate it. An amateur kayaker might overturn her boat, while a judge may decide to overturn a previous judgment. When you overturn a wheelbarrow or a tricycle, you literally turn it over. When judges overturn earlier rulings or voters overturn laws, they make them invalid, essentially reversing them. An earlier, more intense metaphorical meaning of this word was "violently overthrow a ruler or rulers." Overturn was originally used in the 13th century to describe a turning wheel.
Vocabulary lists containing overturn
Ban This Book
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This Week In Words: December 5–11, 2020
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5th Grade Government Vocabulary, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
Cue the CRA, which lets lawmakers overturn a regulation with a simple majority vote of both chambers and the President’s signature.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
Carla Lockhart, a local MP from the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party, called the appeal overturn "seismic" and said residents had nothing to fear.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
On Sept. 4, the U.S. court of appeals by a 2-1 vote refused to overturn her ruling, prompting the administration’s fast-track appeal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
The Sri Lanka captain also had to overturn a caught-behind decision on 99 when Overton was the bowler again.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
I expected the raft to overturn at any moment.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
The ruling overturns a case that had held sway for 91 years.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
The Federal Supreme Court therefore partially overturns the contested award and refers the case back to the CAS for a new ruling, taking into account the probative value of the audio-visual recording in question.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2026
Le Pen will be hoping the appeals court overturns the lower-court's verdict and clears her name and path to run for the highest office in France for the fourth time.
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2026
The decision overturns the seizure of Nexperia by Karremans’ ministry from its Chinese owner, Wingtech Technology, late in September.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 19, 2025
“There we have an opinion that overturns three hundred and seventy-five years of critical appreciation. Is there a particular reason that you find it ‘stupid’?”
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
July 2020: City's European ban is overturned after an appeal to Cas.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
That conviction was overturned in 2021 because of a non-prosecution agreement struck with a previous prosecutor.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026
Wise previously attempted to ban the insurers from issuing new policies, but a state judge overturned that order in 2025, the insurers said in their lawsuit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
US federal judge Christopher Cooper previously ordered Trump's name removed from the exterior and overturned the board's decision to rename the institution.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
An overturned mixing bowl, two plates, and a handful of cutlery set to dry on a checked dish towel spread out by the sink.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
A federal magistrate judge subsequently recommended overturning the conviction due to ineffective defense counsel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
According to the traditional explanation, the added salt encourages the formation of North Atlantic Deep Water, which helps sustain Atlantic overturning.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
The appeals court did not rule on the ultimate merits of the case but concluded the administration had not shown it was likely to succeed in overturning the injunction at this stage.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
Removing stagnant water, such as by emptying flowerpot plates, overturning unused pails and breaking up hardened soil, can help break the dengue transmission cycle.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
I cried and jumped back, almost overturning the whole apparatus.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
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.
