overshot

1 of 2

adjective

over·​shot ˈō-vər-ˌshät How to pronounce overshot (audio)
1
: actuated by the weight of water passing over and flowing from above
an overshot waterwheel
2
a
: having the upper jaw extending beyond the lower
b
: projecting beyond the lower jaw

overshot

2 of 2

noun

: a pattern or weave featuring filling threads which pass two or more warp yarns before reentering the fabric

Examples of overshot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The spending through credit cards even overshot debit card usage. Quartz, 27 Oct. 2022 Sylvia Plath long ago reached, even overshot, iconic status. Jessica Ferri, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2020 His initial goal was to raise £1,000, but the overachieving nonagenarian overshot things a little, finishing his 100 laps two weeks early on April 16, and raising, as of this writing, almost £19 million. Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 17 Apr. 2020 The tight-money blunder of 2008 squashed incipient inflation but wildly overshot and has left the U.S. dollar overvalued and tending to soar. Sean Rushton, National Review, 13 July 2017
Noun
Akatsuki spacecraft closed in on Venus seven years ago, its main engine failed and with no way of slowing down, the spacecraft overshot the planet and barreled into orbit around the Sun. Discover Magazine, 15 Jan. 2018 Scrooge overshot the toss, and the coin took out Sherman’s eye. Michele Amabile Angermiller, Variety, 10 Dec. 2022 The bloc is also aiming for a 15% voluntary cut in gas use from August through March 2023, which is being overshot for now. Carol Ryan, WSJ, 17 Nov. 2022 In 1981, A Korean Air Lines Boeing 747 jetliner overshot the runway while taking off from Manila’s international airport and skidded to a stop at the edge of a major highway. Jim Gomez, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Oct. 2022 For example, countries that have overshot their storage-filling target can compensate by cutting their use less. Monika Pronczuk, BostonGlobe.com, 26 July 2022 Now, some companies that boomed during the recovery may have overshot their growth plans. Callum Borchers, WSJ, 19 May 2022 That’s especially true when inflation has overshot forecasts for four months in a row, swallowing wage growth. Fortune, 13 Mar. 2022 Time and time again governments have tried to get back to normal and have overshot that runway by opening up too early. Helen Branswell, STAT, 4 Jan. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overshot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1945, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overshot was circa 1535

Dictionary Entries Near overshot

Cite this Entry

“Overshot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overshot. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

overshot

adjective
over·​shot
ˈō-vər-ˌshät
: moved by water shooting over from above
an overshot waterwheel

Medical Definition

overshot

adjective
over·​shot ˈō-vər-ˌshät How to pronounce overshot (audio)
1
: having the upper jaw extending beyond the lower
2
: projecting beyond the lower jaw
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