as in to reject
to decide that (something or someone) is wrong; to rule against (something or someone)
The judge overruled the objection. His conviction was overruled by the supreme court.
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Recent Examples of overrule
That would overrule a decision by the Planning and Design Commission earlier this month to approve the 332-apartment development in East Sacramento and grant it the city’s first exemption under a new state law meant to speed up home building.
—
Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 23 Feb. 2026
But he was overruled, and like usual, the Dolphins former general manager, who too often lacked a backbone and conviction, caved when McDaniel went to owner Steve Ross and convinced him a deal needed to be done.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2026
So watch for the Court, later this year, to overrule a ninety-year-old precedent and grant the President new power to fire agency officials.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2026
The decision was made by top agency official Vinay Prasad, who STAT previously reported had overruled career scientists in the vaccine center.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overrule
Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 23 Feb. 2026
But he was overruled, and like usual, the Dolphins former general manager, who too often lacked a backbone and conviction, caved when McDaniel went to owner Steve Ross and convinced him a deal needed to be done.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2026
So watch for the Court, later this year, to overrule a ninety-year-old precedent and grant the President new power to fire agency officials.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2026
The decision was made by top agency official Vinay Prasad, who STAT previously reported had overruled career scientists in the vaccine center.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overrule
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overrule
Verb
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The big man drew a foul inside, sank a baby hook shot, rejected a shot by Suns counterpart Mark Williams and fed a pass to Sam Hauser for a layup.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
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These improvements came after Americans rejected soft-on-crime and defund-the-police policies, which resulted in a spike in crime over the previous 4 years.—
Gabe Evans,
Denver Post,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Advertisement Then there’s the controversy sparked by celebrity podcasters Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, who dismissed Crockett's Senate bid as pointless.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
26 Feb. 2026
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Amorim was dismissed following a 1-1 draw with Leeds United on January 5 after a breakdown in relations behind the scenes.—
Mark Critchley,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Sources did not deny that the Border Patrol, a part of DHS’s agency Customs and Border Protection, responsible for initially arresting people, had released anyone.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Feb. 2026
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He was convicted in July after a six-week trial and made two unsuccessful appeals, denied a new trial only a week ago.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Points are deducted if kids try to refuse at the last minute.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
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This is causing all sorts of interpersonal problems that HR has flatly refused to get involved with.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Recipients aren't supposed to owe any taxes until the money is withdrawn, which can happen at any point after a child turns 18, in accordance with rules for traditional IRAs.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Feb. 2026
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Several countries have begun withdrawing dependents of diplomatic personnel and non-essential staff from some locations in the Middle East, or advising citizens to avoid travel to Iran.—
Matt Bradley,
NBC news,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Visiting boats moor in the bay but keep to the far side, close enough to admire and distant enough to ignore.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Feb. 2026
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And, presumably, she’s ignored that.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overrule.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overrule. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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