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

The lawsuit alleges the project was plagued with sloppy workmanship and insufficient oversight. — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

The New York Times has been sued by Florida’s attorney general, who’s representing shareholders in a lawsuit accusing the company’s board of directors of failing to exercise proper oversight of editorial standards. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026

Those capabilities include autonomous self-improvement, attempts to evade oversight, and certain forms of unauthorized system access. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026

For these systems, the Act expects documentation, transparency and human oversight. — Dimitri Boylan, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 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