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
Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 16 May 2025
Migrant rights advocates and legal practitioners have objected to this reasoning, citing serious deficiencies in the immigration ministry and the high rate of rejections overturned on appeal.
—Frey Lindsay, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
To him, the Platte County Commission’s unanimous vote was not an overturn or override of the voters in Platte because the statute has given the commission the authority to make the final decision.
—Alecia Taylor, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overturn
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
But in April, the state’s Court of Appeals, which has a Republican majority, issued a three-sentence decision overturning the lower court’s ruling without hearing oral arguments.
—Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 16 May 2025
Migrant rights advocates and legal practitioners have objected to this reasoning, citing serious deficiencies in the immigration ministry and the high rate of rejections overturned on appeal.
—Frey Lindsay, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Noun
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
To him, the Platte County Commission’s unanimous vote was not an overturn or override of the voters in Platte because the statute has given the commission the authority to make the final decision.
—Alecia Taylor, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 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 26 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share