overthrow
Americanverb (used with object)
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to depose, as from a position of power; overcome, defeat, or vanquish.
to overthrow a tyrant.
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to put an end to by force, as a government or institution.
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to throw or knock down; overturn; topple.
The heavy winds overthrew numerous telephone poles and trees.
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to knock down and demolish.
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to throw (something) too far.
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Baseball. (of a pitcher) to throw too hard, often affecting control or straining the arm.
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Archaic. to destroy the sound condition of (the mind).
verb (used without object)
noun
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the act of overthrowing; state or condition of being overthrown.
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deposition from power.
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defeat; destruction; ruin.
- Synonyms:
- fall
verb
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(tr) to effect the downfall or destruction of (a ruler, institution, etc), esp by force
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(tr) to throw or turn over
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(tr) to throw (something, esp a ball) too far
noun
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an act of overthrowing
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downfall; destruction
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cricket
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a ball thrown back too far by a fielder
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a run scored because of this
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overthrowsimple
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overthrowssimple
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have overthrownperfect
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has overthrownperfect
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am overthrowingprogressive
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are overthrowingprogressive
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is overthrowingprogressive
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have been overthrowingperfect progressive
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has been overthrowingperfect progressive
Past
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overthrewsimple
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had overthrownperfect
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was overthrowingprogressive
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were overthrowingprogressive
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had been overthrowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overthrow
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at over-, throw
Explanation
When you overthrow a ruler or a regime, you throw them out, usually by force. If you're a rebel you may plan to overthrow the current government and install a new regime. You can also use overthrow as a noun. You might plot to overthrow the parking ticket authority so that you won't have to pay your tickets. There are also more literal uses of the word. In baseball, football, and other games that involve throwing a ball, you overthrow when you throw the ball past the person you're aiming for. You can say "the pitcher overthrew the ball to the first baseman," or "the pitcher overthrew the first baseman."
Vocabulary lists containing overthrow
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"Death, be not proud" by John Donne
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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:
In his 2012 autobiography "An American Son," the man oft-memed as the "viceroy" of Cuba, recounts boasting to his exiled Cuban grandfather that he would one day overthrow Fidel Castro and free Cuba.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Then there’s the fact that Nicaraguan migrants in the United States are a smaller and less powerful force than Cuban Americans, many of whom have lobbied Washington for decades to isolate and overthrow Havana’s leaders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Slater thinks a new set of application-layer disrupters is on the way that will use AI to overthrow the existing tech leaders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
Would things have changed if Harry Sheridan was able to keep hold of the ball as he fell towards the line, or if Tom Stewart did not overthrow on his line-out?
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Jen grinned as if he’d just announced the overthrow of the Government.
From "Among the Hidden" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have now uncovered a key reason behind these coordinated overthrows and how they unfold so precisely.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2025
There were a couple of overthrows to Ja’Lynn Polk as well.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 8, 2024
Love was flustered two months ago by the Vikings defense, but despite his penchant for overthrows he has come a long way.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 1, 2024
India had lost their past four semi-finals in World Cups and they conceded 30 extras, twice gifted four overthrows and Shami dropped a simple chance to remove Williamson on 52.
From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2023
To decide it affirmatively, establishes Phrenology; negatively, overthrows it.
From The Illustrated Self-Instructor in Phrenology and Physiology by Fowler, L. N.
Apple finally overthrew Nvidia to reclaim the title of the world’s largest company by market capitalization, underscoring the dramatic degree to which the iPhone maker’s stock is clobbering the broader technology universe.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
But history is complicated, and a significant chunk of that population is fiercely opposed to the regime of the Islamic republic, which overthrew the Shah in 1979.
From Barron's ● Jun. 14, 2026
Founded after the 1979 revolution that overthrew the Shah, it was then forged in the deadly misery of the eight-year war with Iraq.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026
On the eve of the 1979 revolution that overthrew the shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, there was a much clearer vision of what would follow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
Che had served as a military adviser to Fidel Castro when Castro and his guerilla army overthrew Cuba’s former president, Fulgencio Batista, in the 1950s.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Her parents are openly pro-regime and she worries they might be targeted if the government was to be overthrown.
From BBC ● May 3, 2026
“I’m happy because the Ayatollah was overthrown, and for the freedom,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
An effective orator, Khamenei joined the critics of the Shah of Iran: the monarch who was eventually overthrown by the Islamic revolution.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2026
Some waved flags with a lion and a sun against horizontal green, white and red stripes, the emblem of the monarchy overthrown in 1979.
From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026
Strange and wonderful I thought it that the designs of Mordor should be overthrown by such wraiths of fear and darkness.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
I watched a movie called “The International,” which focused on an Interpol investigation of a bank that primarily served groups intent on overthrowing existing governments.
From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026
“Just not overthrowing the ball, not throwing as hard as I can but hitting the spots and having a feel for my off-speed pitches,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
Many of the 100 or more other soldiers who participated were unaware they were overthrowing the government.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava needs to stop overthrowing receivers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2025
“They are dedicated to overthrowing preserves in order to use them for their own misguided purposes,” Grandpa said.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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.
