oversight

noun

over·​sight ˈō-vər-ˌsīt 

1

a

: watchful and responsible care

… you to whom oversight of the University is entrusted …

—N. M. Pusey

b

: regulatory supervision

congressional oversight

The new manager was given oversight of the project.

2

: an inadvertent omission or error

… whether by oversight or intention …

—George Bernard Shaw

The error was a simple oversight.

Synonyms of oversight

• management
• supervision
• control
• operation
• administration
• handling
• stewardship
• government
• direction
• governance

Examples of oversight in a Sentence

The fact that you didn't get an invitation is surely just an oversight.

The error was a simple oversight.

The new manager was given oversight of the project.

Recent Examples on the Web

Now, teams must also assign work to AI agents and integrate them into daily workflows, which requires a level of clarity, communication, and oversight many enterprises have never had to operationalize before. — Neil Dhar, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026

Content oversight provided by Studio 1847 Immigration enforcement is no longer a distant policy debate for many Central Florida residents. — Ascend Agency, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026

But oversight does not mean ignoring every professional recommendation when the facts interfere with a preferred political narrative. — Angel Gutierrez, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026

Despite providing millions of Americans with health insurance coverage for the first time, these programs had few centralized mechanisms for the kind of federal oversight that could prevent and catch fraud and abuse. — Ben Zdencanovic, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for oversight

• acolyte
• aconite
• allanite
• alunite
• amberlite
• ammonite
• amorite
• amphitrite
• analyte
• anchorite
• andesite
• anhydrite

Kids Definition

oversight

noun

over·​sight -ˌsīt 

1

: the act or duty of overseeing : supervision

have the oversight of a job

2

: an error or a leaving something out through carelessness or haste