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

This combination of autonomy and operator oversight helps overcome labor shortages and reduces operator fatigue on long-term, repetitive jobs, particularly at remote or large-scale sites. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 22 Nov. 2025

Yet despite horrific incident after horrific incident, AI companies retain carte blanche to sell products with zero meaningful safety standards or oversight. —Michael Kleinman, Time, 22 Nov. 2025

Whitehouse is the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which has oversight responsibility for the Kennedy Center and authorizes its federal funding. —Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2025

The Education Department is also still responsible for oversight of the programs. —Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025

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