overview
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of overview
Explanation
An overview is a general summary of something. An overview gives the big picture, while leaving out the minor details. If you take a class on American history, the class will be an overview: it will sum up the most important events that have happened, such as famous elections, national disasters, major wars, and economic trends. When writing an overview, you have to leave out a lot of details, because you're focusing on major points. You can give an overview of a company's business, of a sport team's season, or even of your own life.
Vocabulary lists containing overview
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Creativity at Work" and "The Hidden Secrets of the Creative Mind"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 8
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
“We have asked repeatedly for not just a high-level overview of what happened that day, but for the details, the specific fully transparent details,” Nicole Dickey told NPR shortly after the lawsuit was filed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The three-page memo provides an overview of Trump's physical examination and diagnostic testing, in which Barbabella concludes that the leader is "fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State."
From Barron's ● May 30, 2026
TikTok says it has identified the cause of AI overview errors and inconsistencies, without detailing what this was.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
While the earlier collection exhibition felt scattershot and left one with only a hazy sense of what the museum represents, this display offers a penetrating overview in miniature.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
After her husband opened the convention, she explained the purpose of the gathering and offered a brief overview of the status of women around the world.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
"The click-through rate for searches that have AI overviews is about 60% to 70% lower," says Bodnar.
From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2026
What’s more, marketing professionals are already studying how LLMs rank sources to ensure that their content is picked up in A.I. overviews.
From Slate ● Mar. 28, 2026
AI overviews, an AI summary of search results at the top of traditional Google search, have proven to be very effective in maintaining the near 90% market share Google has in search.
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
County and nonprofit resources for mortgage relief, building estimates and overviews on the process.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
Interactive access is frequently used to do queries of NIC service overviews, look up user and host names, and scan lists of NIC documents.
From Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet by Krol, Ed
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.
