oversight

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noun over·sight \ ˈō-vər-ˌsīt \

Definition of oversight

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
—G. B. Shaw

The error was a simple oversight.

See oversight defined for English-language learners

See oversight defined for kids

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 of oversight from the Web

But just three years before the commission was launched, Louisville had a much different oversight body – at least on paper.

— matthew glowicki, The Courier-Journal, "If Louisville's police watchdog group is a bulldog that 'cannot bite,' is it relevant?," 28 Aug. 2017
That’s where governmental oversight is supposed to take over.

— ian bogost, The Atlantic, "Houston's Flood Is a Design Problem," 28 Aug. 2017
While these clinics have proliferated in recent years, federal oversight has been lax, the study said.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Smallpox vaccine used in risky cancer therapy seized from San Diego stem cell company," 28 Aug. 2017
The oversight allegedly led to a severe infection that caused Amanda’s eyebrows and surrounding skin to fall off.

— Teen Vogue, "Eyebrow Microblading Allegedly Causes Severe Infection," 2 Aug. 2017
GO HERE: for a not-at-all-precious ode to vegetables in all their glory, most of which have been grown under the oversight of Josef Centeno (a Top 50 alum) at a nearby urban garden.

— bon appétit, Bon Appetit, "P.Y.T.," 1 Aug. 2017
Crane chairs the committee and has resisted a meeting on grounds that the panel does not have oversight on the TAN borrowings.

— bill dentzer, idahostatesman, "Idaho’s treasurer spent at least $5 million too much borrowing money. Now he’s refusing a review," 25 July 2017
Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, who assumed oversight of the investigation after Sessions's recusal, was the one who appointed Mueller.

— aaron blake, Washington Post, "Trump has now attacked basically everyone in charge of the Russia investigation," 20 July 2017
The high court’s decision, however, left open the possibility that federal oversight would resume if there’s enough fresh evidence of intentional racial discrimination.

— by jim malewitz, star-telegram, "At tail end of Texas redistricting trial, judges skeptical of voting-map defense," 16 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oversight.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of oversight

15th century

oversight Synonyms

OVERSIGHT Defined for English Language Learners

oversight

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noun

Definition of oversight for English Language Learners

: a mistake made because someone forgets or fails to notice something
: the act or job of directing work that is being done

OVERSIGHT Defined for Kids

oversight

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noun over·sight \ ˈō-vər-ˌsīt \

Definition of oversight for Students

1 :the act or duty of overseeing :watchful care He was assigned oversight of the project.

2 :an error or something forgotten through carelessness or haste It was surely an oversight that you weren't invited.

Headscratcher for oversight

What do “watchful care” and “careless error” have in common? Though they are opposites they are both meanings of oversight.

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See words that rhyme with oversight Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for oversight Spanish Central: Translation of oversight Nglish: Translation of oversight for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of oversight for Arabic speakers

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oversight

Definition of oversight

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Examples of oversight in a Sentence

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oversight Synonyms

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OVERSIGHT Defined for English Language Learners

oversight

Definition of oversight for English Language Learners

OVERSIGHT Defined for Kids

oversight

Definition of oversight for Students

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