overturn

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verb over·turn \ˌō-vər-ˈtərn\

Definition of overturn

transitive verb
1 : to cause to turn over : upset overturned the vase
2a : invalidate, destroy the degree to which accident could overturn the schemes of wise men — Oscar Handlinb : reverse 2a overturn a court ruling
intransitive verb
: upset, turn over The car went off the road and overturned several times.

See overturn defined for English-language learners

See overturn defined for kids

Examples of overturn in a Sentence

The dog overturned the bowl.
The truck went off the road and overturned several times.
The court overturned his conviction.

Recent Examples of overturn from the Web

The party has spent seven years vowing to overturn and replace Obamacare with its own health-care plan.

— The Economist, "Politics this week," 20 July 2017
As the Senate's bid to overturn Obamacare collapsed amid Republican infighting (more on that later in the newsletter), the White House reluctantly certified Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal signed by the Obama administration in 2015.

— ishaan tharoor, Washington Post, "The U.S. and Iran are heading toward crisis," 19 July 2017
But the Court also overturned the same district court judge’s determination that refugees who had not yet entered the country but who had a resettlement agency working on their behalf were exempt from the ban.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Supreme Court Rules Grandparents Exempt From Travel Ban, But Refugees Not So Lucky," 19 July 2017
Issues get revisited, not for good reason, but because a particular advocate is unhappy with what was decided and persuades the president that the decision needs to be overturned.

— richard haass, The Atlantic, "Donald Trump and the Danger of 'Adhocracy'," 18 July 2017
A federal appeals court later overturned the obscenity ruling, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear further arguments in the case from the group’s critics.

— jennifer kay, The Seattle Times, "Fresh Kid Ice of 2 Live Crew dies in Miami at age 53," 14 July 2017
Girardi eventually challenged, but video officials did not overturn the call.

— jake seiner, courant.com, "Out goes Frazier! Rookie hits homer in 9th to lift Yankees," 8 July 2017
GOP legislators plan to override several other items – marking the first time lawmakers have overturned Kasich's veto pen.

— cincinnati enquirer, Cincinnati.com, "John Kasich scores another victory over GOP on Medicaid," 6 July 2017
A City Council committee on Wednesday declined to hear an appeal from the Lucky Lady seeking to overturn the department’s decision.

— greg moran, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Sports gambling probe at Lucky Lady began in 2008, court records say, as card room faces potential closure," 1 July 2017

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

First Known Use of overturn

13th century

overturn

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noun over·turn \ˈō-vər-ˌtərn\

Definition of overturn

1 : the act of overturning : the state of being overturned
2 : the sinking of surface water and rise of bottom water in a lake or sea that results from changes in temperature that commonly occur in spring and fall

Recent Examples of overturn from the Web

Is the board disturbing a hornet nest, so that an overturn vote is all but certain?

— kelly g. richardson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "HOA Homefront: The rules on rules," 3 June 2017
In the moments after the overturn, the Royals’ dugout was stunned.

— rustin dodd, kansascity.com, "Two mistakes cost Jason Vargas, Royals in 4-2 loss to the Yankees," 22 May 2017
There must be differences in the magma supply to the two halves of the patera, and whatever is triggering the start of overturn manages to trigger both halves at nearly the same time but not exactly.

— Fox News, "Lava waves sweep across Jupiter moon Io's massive molten lake," 11 May 2017
LeMahieu went well out of his way to initiate contact pic.twitter.com/pzwxxbY4XD — Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) April 30, 2017 The Diamondbacks were furious about the overturn, and Pollock had to be restrained.

— andrew joseph, USA TODAY, "Umpires make blatantly wrong interference call," 30 Apr. 2017
For much of the past decade, an abnormally early heat wave has hindered the lakes’ spring overturn — an annual process that mixes the water column and carries oxygen down to the depths.

— National Geographic, "Summer in March? Warming Climate Alters Europe's Seasons," 4 Apr. 2016

First Known Use of overturn

circa 1592

Other Ecology Terms

Malthusian, anthropogenic, biomass, carbon footprint, crepuscular, niche, sere, symbiosis, taiga, tundra

OVERTURN Defined for English Language Learners

overturn

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verb

Definition of overturn for English Language Learners

: to turn (something) over
: to turn over
: to decide that (a ruling, decision, etc.) is wrong and change it

OVERTURN Defined for Kids

overturn

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verb over·turn \ˌō-vər-ˈtərn\

Definition of overturn for Students

overturned

;

overturning

1 : to turn over or upside down Waves overturned the boat.
2 : to reverse or cancel something previously decided or ordered The judge overturned the lower court's ruling.