overshoot

verb

over·​shoot ˌō-vər-ˈshüt 

overshot ˌō-vər-ˈshät  ; overshooting

transitive verb

1

: to pass swiftly beyond

2

: to shoot or pass over or beyond so as to miss

overshoot

ˈō-vər-ˌshüt 

noun

Synonyms of overshoot

• exceed
• surpass

Examples of overshoot in a Sentence

The plane overshot the runway.

Sometimes we overshoot our time limits.

Recent Examples on the Web

Investigators have not determined the cause of the crash, which killed five people and injured five others after Amazon Air Flight 7598, a Boeing 767-33A operated by 21 Air LLC, overshot the runway and struck two vehicles. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026

Some airports employ collapsible surfaces to slow or stop a plane that overshoots a runway — though that’s considered a back-up option when there isn’t space for the kind of 1,000-foot buffer that MIA has at the end of the runway. — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026

The widow of one of the five men killed over Labor Day weekend when an Amazon cargo plane overshot the runway at Miami International Airport filed a wrongful-death lawsuit on Wednesday. — Brady Dennis, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2026

Morgan said the plane overshot its landing spot by more than 1,000 feet and was traveling well above the appropriate landing speed. — Anna McAllister, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for overshoot

• absolute
• arrowroot
• attribute
• bitterroot
• constitute
• convolute
• destitute
• disrepute
• dissolute
• execute
• institute
• involute

Kids Definition

overshoot

verb

over·​shoot ˌō-vər-ˈshüt 

overshot -ˈshät  ; 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 

: a rapid change in electrical potential and reversal of polarity that occurs during an action potential when a cell or tissue is stimulated