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

But for other, clinical use cases, the accuracy is too low for LLMs to be deployed safely — let alone AI agents that operate autonomously without human oversight. —Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026

Clear baselines for transparency, accountability, and autonomous system oversight help align incentives, reduce systemic risk, and build trust across markets. —CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026

Public trust in nuclear power has been slow to recover, and concerns persist over seismic risks, evacuation planning, and the robustness of safety oversight. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 2026

Republicans ultimately agreed to impose new restrictions on DHS, including more deescalation training for ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents and oversight of detention facilities. —Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 20 Jan. 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