overt

adjective \ ō-ˈvərt , ˈō-(ˌ)vərt \

Definition of overt

:open to view :manifest

overt hostility

overt symptoms of the disease

overt discrimination

both overt and covert military action

—

overtly

adverb

—

overtness

noun

See overt defined for English-language learners

See overt defined for kids

Recent Examples of overt from the Web

There are two types of people in the world: those who embrace the overt sweetness of florals, and those who flinch at the thought.

— indya brown, The Cut, "Your New Fall Jacket Is a Silk Robe," 28 Aug. 2017
Yawkey was considered by many to be an overt racist.

— the tylt, cleveland.com, "Should the city of Boston rename Yawkey Way?," 18 Aug. 2017
This results in a far quicker and less expensive beer to produce and also frequently comes with a less overt amount of sourness and tartness.

— scooter hendon, star-telegram, "Gose story: Sour beer in a can is not so strange anymore," 9 Aug. 2017
During the campaign, his performance at the Al Smith dinner—where presidential candidates roast their rivals and themselves every four years—devolved into overt attacks on his opponent.

— yoni appelbaum, The Atlantic, "Trump's Mistake at the Boy Scout Jamboree," 24 July 2017
There has been no overt opposition to Mr Xi’s amassing of ever-greater power.

— The Economist, "Sun’s outA potential successor to Xi Jinping is purged," 20 July 2017
Planet of the Apes was never a black and white world where Gary Oldman’s Dreyfus or Woody Harrelson’s The Colonel were made overt villains.

— chris hartwell, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Planet of the Apes' Is the Rare Trilogy That's Great," 14 July 2017
The backlash was immediate, with Trump’s female surrogates rushing to defend him from charges of overt sexism.

— claire landsbaum, The Cut, "Morning Joe Set a Ratings Record After Trump’s Face-Lift Tweets," 5 July 2017
This level of overt negativity goes against everything Gaga has stood for in her career.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "Lady Gaga Responds to Reports That Ed Sheeran Quit Twitter Because Her Fans Bullied Him," 5 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of overt

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from past participle of ovrir to open, from Vulgar Latin *operire, alteration of Latin aperire

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

OVERT Defined for English Language Learners

overt

adjective

Definition of overt for English Language Learners

: easily seen : not secret or hidden

OVERT Defined for Kids

overt

adjective \ ō-ˈvərt , ˈō-vərt \

Definition of overt for Students

:not secret or hidden overt hostility

Medical Dictionary

overt

adjective \ ō-ˈvərt, ˈō-ˌvərt also ˈō-vərt \

medical Definition of overt

:open to view :readily perceived

overt behavior

—

overtly

adverb

Learn More about overt

See words that rhyme with overt Spanish Central: Translation of overt Nglish: Translation of overt for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of overt for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up overt? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

overt

Definition of overt

overtly

overtness

Read the Latest from M-W

Recent Examples of overt from the Web

Origin and Etymology of overt

OVERT Defined for English Language Learners

overt

Definition of overt for English Language Learners

OVERT Defined for Kids

overt

Definition of overt for Students

Medical Dictionary

overt

medical Definition of overt

overtly

Learn More about overt

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066