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

After following through with a campaign promise to repeal Democratic President Joe Biden’s guardrails around the fast-developing technology, the Republican administration and its allies are now sending mixed signals about the government playing a larger role in AI oversight. —Matt O'Brien, Fortune, 11 May 2026

And the Department of Homeland Security effectively eliminated its in-house watchdog, the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, leaving the ICE task force program with less oversight, according to Peter Mina, a former DHS official. —Shoshana Walter, Miami Herald, 11 May 2026

Technology alone fails completely without this unified strategic oversight. —Ethan Stone, USA Today, 11 May 2026

Even the suggestion of government oversight sparked backlash from Silicon Valley. —Los Angeles Times, 11 May 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