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Synonyms

overview

American  
[oh-ver-vyoo] / ˈoʊ vərˌvyu /

noun

  1. a general outline of a subject or situation; survey or summary.


overview British  
/ ˈəʊvəˌvjuː /

noun

  1. a general survey

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of overview

First recorded in 1540–50; over- + view

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.

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Vocabulary lists containing overview

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 new AI Overview is so bad it feels like it has to be a joke," wrote TikTok user and creator Brett Vanderbrook alongside his video.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

Overview Energy and Meta announced a “first-of-its-kind agreement to bring space solar energy to data centers.”

From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026

Overview Energy’s vision for a space-based power plant that beams energy back to Earth is still hypothetical.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026

The Facebook owner said on Monday that it had signed a deal with Overview Energy to deploy up to 1 gigawatt of “orbit-to-grid” energy to support its data centers.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026

But this road had a name, Overview Circle, and a bunch of mailboxes clustered at its beginning.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

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