over·turn
ˌō-vər-ˈtərn 
overturned; overturning; overturns
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
Oscar Handlin
b
: reverse sense 2a
overturn a court ruling
over·turn
ˈō-vər-ˌtərn
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
Examples of overturn in a Sentence
Verb
The dog overturned the bowl.
The truck went off the road and overturned several times.
The court overturned his conviction.
Recent Examples on the Web
Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 21 June 2025
Health care The first Trump administration unsuccessfully tried to end the Affordable Care Act, even asking the Supreme Court to overturn it in late 2020.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 20 June 2025
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
This impressive foundation was built through a process called gravitational overturn, a slow-motion geological ballet that predates plate tectonics by hundreds of millions of years.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overturn
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Verb
The measure is designed to overturn a series of executive orders by Trump, including banning transgender troops in the U.S. military and blocking transgender students from playing on girls’ sports teams.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 21 June 2025
Health care The first Trump administration unsuccessfully tried to end the Affordable Care Act, even asking the Supreme Court to overturn it in late 2020.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 20 June 2025
Noun
Geological records from the East Pilbara Terrane show that these overturn events began as early as 3.6 billion years ago, with the last major episode wrapping up around 3.41 billion years ago.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
This impressive foundation was built through a process called gravitational overturn, a slow-motion geological ballet that predates plate tectonics by hundreds of millions of years.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overturn
Cite this Entry
“Overturn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overturn. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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