overshoot

verb

over·​shoot ˌō-vər-ˈshüt How to pronounce overshoot (audio)
overshot ˌō-vər-ˈshät How to pronounce overshoot (audio) ; overshooting

transitive verb

1
: to pass swiftly beyond
2
: to shoot or pass over or beyond so as to miss
overshoot noun

Examples of overshoot in a Sentence

The plane overshot the runway. Sometimes we overshoot our time limits.
Recent Examples on the Web Nine Navy personnel were onboard when the jet made the crash landing, authorities confirmed on Monday A U.S. Navy plane crash landed into the water in Hawaii after overshooting a runway at a military base. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023 Wisconsinites may have seen their smartphone weather app predicting record-breaking highs of 110 or hotter earlier this month in a forecast that overshot actual temperatures by nearly a dozen degrees. Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 30 Aug. 2023 The current agreement will cause shipping to overshoot its carbon budget to keep global temperatures under 1.5°C by 2032, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation. Time, 7 July 2023 Four people were on board the aircraft, which overshot its planned destination by 315 miles before crashing, sources familiar with the investigation said. Natasha Bertrand, CNN, 5 June 2023 On the call, chief financial officer Colette Kress also revealed the company had significantly overshot its own revenue outlook. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2023 In that scenario, temperatures are likely to overshoot 1.5 degrees of warming between 2041 and 2060 before returning back down to 1.4 degrees of warming by the end of the century. Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 17 Aug. 2023 Some of these models, like GFS, can overshoot temperatures, while others inaccurately predict too much snowfall in the winter. Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 30 Aug. 2023 According to the World Meteorological Association, there’s a 66 percent chance that the annual average temperature will overshoot 1.5 degrees of warming for at least one year between 2023 and 2027. Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 17 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overshoot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of overshoot was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near overshoot

Cite this Entry

“Overshoot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overshoot. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

overshoot

verb
over·​shoot ˌō-vər-ˈshüt How to pronounce overshoot (audio)
overshot -ˈshät How to pronounce overshoot (audio) ; overshooting
1
: to miss by going beyond
the plane overshot the runway
2
: to shoot over or beyond
overshot the target

Medical Definition

overshoot

noun
over·​shoot ˈō-vər-ˌshüt How to pronounce overshoot (audio)
: a rapid change in electrical potential and reversal of polarity that occurs during an action potential when a cell or tissue is stimulated

More from Merriam-Webster on overshoot

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