overthrow

verb over·throw \ ˌō-vər-ˈthrō \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

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Examples: overthrow in a Sentence

Definition of overthrow

overthrew play \ˌō-vər-ˈthrü\; overthrown play \ˌō-vər-ˈthrōn\; overthrowing

transitive verb

1 : overturn, upset

2 : to cause the downfall of : bring down, defeat

3 : to throw a ball over or past (something or someone, such as a base or a receiver)

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overthrow

play \ˈō-vər-ˌthrō\ noun

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Examples of overthrow in a Sentence

The quarterback overthrew his receiver.

Recent Examples of overthrow from the Web

Mr Duterte is probably the most powerful president since Marcos’s dictatorship was overthrown in 1986.

— The Economist, "The president of the Philippines wants to change the constitution," 28 June 2018
The people wanted to overthrow the oppressive regime there, and it was not backed by the Obama White House.

— Fox News, "Cotton: Gina Haspel has been keeping US safe for 30 years," 10 May 2018
Before the 1979 revolution, Iran’s shah had paid $400 million for American military goods but, after he was overthrown, they were never delivered.

— New York Times, "Trump Overreaches in Critique of Iran Deal," 8 May 2018
All too often, Srbijanka explains, people overthrow their leaders with no clear plan of what to put in their place.

— jeannette catsoulis, New York Times, "Review: In ‘The Other Side of Everything,’ a Belgrade Apartment Symbolizes Upheaval," 12 July 2018
On the one hand, the smartphone is clearly popular and important enough to overthrow its ancestors, replacing them while incorporating the DNA of their media.

— ian bogost, The Atlantic, "'Stories’ Are for Smartphones," 3 May 2018
When crowds ransacked the presidential palace after Hussein was overthrown, the car’s original owner presented his ownership documents to occupying American forces and got his car back.

— mark phelan, Detroit Free Press, "Saddam Hussein’s 1958 Bentley stars at Concours d'Elegance of America," 11 July 2018
Brazil, Argentina and Germany, a virtual World Cup dictatorship that won 11 of the 20 tournaments before this one, have all been overthrown and chased away before the semifinals.

— john leicester, chicagotribune.com, "Winds of football change blow at Russia World Cup," 7 July 2018
Yet the 1979 revolution, which overthrew the shah, was bound to disappoint a public clamoring for democracy.

— reuel marc gerecht and, WSJ, "Don’t Fear Regime Change in Iran," 11 June 2018

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