oversight

noun over·sight \ ˈō-vər-ˌsīt \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: oversight in a Sentence

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

Another aim is to mobilize Russia's oligarchic capitalists to build public infrastructure, saddling them with Kremlin oversight.

— fred weir, The Christian Science Monitor, "As World Cup kicks off, Russia aims to prove a world-class host again," 13 June 2018
These features give it the big-picture view combined with meaningful oversight.

— jonas kron, Fortune, "Microsoft Does These 2 Things to Stay out of Trouble. Facebook Should Try Them," 8 June 2018
But on the internet, where information spreads with little oversight, adhering to guidelines is much harder.

— jennifer michael hecht, Vox, "How the media covers celebrity suicides can have life-or-death consequences," 8 June 2018
Maurizio Catolfi, a museum official with oversight for security, said.

— New York Times, "The Uffizi Gallery Gathers Some Heavy Hitters in a New Room," 8 June 2018
Since Sessions has recused himself, if Rosenstein were to do the same oversight of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe would fall to the associate AG.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Risk of Being Mueller’s Boss Scares Off Top Justice Department Candidates," 6 June 2018
Once in office, however, Reagan reversed her stance and pushed for a new law that requires less state oversight of such groups.

— dustin gardiner, azcentral, "Critics hit Michele Reagan over long-running election site delays," 6 June 2018
The community garden — thought to be the oldest in Los Angeles — grew quietly and off the grid, with unlimited water and little oversight.

— joe mozingo, latimes.com, "One of L.A.'s oldest community gardens thrived for decades. Then the water wars began.," 4 June 2018
And in a city like New York, these are large, independent bureaucracies that were never designed to share oversight of a single city resource.

— sean patrick cooper, The New Republic, "Is America Ready for the Next Superstorm?," 4 June 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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oversight Synonyms

Synonyms

blunder, bobble, boo-boo, brick, clinker, error, fault, flub, fluff, fumble, gaff, gaffe, goof, inaccuracy, lapse, miscue, misstep, mistake, screwup, slip, slipup, stumble, trip;

Near Antonyms

accuracy, correctness, exactitude, exactness, preciseness, precision, strictness;

inerrancy, infallibility, perfection;

foul-up, snafu;

misapprehension, miscalculation, miscomprehension, misconception, misconstruction, miscue, misdescription, misimpression, misinterpretation, misjudgment, misreading, misstatement, misunderstanding;

OVERSIGHT Defined for English Language Learners

oversight

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

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.

Learn More about oversight

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

Examples of oversight in a Sentence

Recent Examples of oversight from the Web

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oversight Synonyms

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

Headscratcher for oversight

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