overview
Americannoun
noun
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)
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"Creativity at Work" and "The Hidden Secrets of the Creative Mind"
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 8
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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.
The influence of “Our Town” is evident in the play’s existential overview.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 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
“Pooling data from similar drugs is a common method to provide a high-level overview of their risks and benefits,” he tells MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026
For a comprehensive audiovisual overview of jazz, try Ken Burns' PBS documentary.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
