overturn

verb over·turn \ ˌō-vər-ˈtərn \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Examples: overturn in a Sentence

Definition of overturn

transitive verb

1 : to cause to turn over : upset

overturned the vase

2 a : invalidate, destroy

the degree to which accident could overturn the schemes of wise men
—Oscar Handlin

b : 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 poll shows three times as many voters want to keep Roe v. Wade in place (63 percent) as want to overturn it (21 percent).

— dana blanton, Fox News, "Fox News Poll: Jury's out on Kavanaugh, voters want Senate vote before midterms," 13 July 2018
At least a dozen California counties and several dozen cities have adopted resolutions either voicing opposition to SB 54 or joining the federal lawsuit seeking to overturn it.

— emily cadei, sacbee, "Sanctuary state battle rages on in Placer County after court ruling upholds law," 10 July 2018
Wilkerson got to the base and took the throw, getting the out call from umpire Quinn Wolcott, but a Braves challenge quickly overturned it and left Albies safe.

— todd rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "It was a rough day for Brewers pitcher Aaron Wilkerson," 7 July 2018
The linesman's offside flag was correctly overturned as the Germans suffered even more humiliation in injury time.

— nathan hilditch, Pro Soccer USA, "South Korea 2-0 Germany: Champions curse strikes again as Germany exits World Cup," 27 June 2018
In December 2017, the commission, now led by Trump appointee Chairman Ajit Pai, voted to overturn them, arguing that the rules were unneeded to protect consumers and preserve competition.

— trisha thadani, SFChronicle.com, "‘Threats,’ memes and data caps: The fight over net neutrality in California," 22 June 2018
In the second trial, Flowers’ conviction was overturned again because of Evans’ prosecutorial conduct.

— michael harriot, The Root, "Whiteness Is a Superpower," 15 June 2018
In Texas, that decision was overturned a decade later when members of the Mexican-American community in the Edgewood school district of San Antonio won the fight for equity in school financing.

— sarah mucha, Teen Vogue, "Congressman Joaquin Castro Is a Politician to Watch," 14 June 2018
What Donald Trump’s Pardons Are Really About Win McNamee/Getty Images The president ponders granting clemency to Muhammad Ali, whose conviction was overturned more than four decades ago.

— jay willis, GQ, "What Donald Trump’s Pardons Are Really About," 8 June 2018

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

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

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overturn Synonyms

Phrases

turn turtle;

overturn

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