as in rejected
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 overruled
One Democrat, Councilor Nick Roberts, joined four Republicans on the committee in voting to approve the idea, but they were overruled by six Democrats.
—
Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 31 Aug. 2025
The school board denied the petition but it was overruled by the San Diego County Board of Education, the first charter school approved on appeal by the county since 2003.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Following the Beverly Hills Unified School District board’s vote to display Israeli flags on all its campuses, Superintendent Alex Cherniss overruled the decision, citing safety concerns.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 30 Aug. 2025
Maybe general manager Andrew Luck, who was in the Stanford press box, should have overruled that call.
—Erick Smith, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
Roger Alford, who was fired in July for alleged insubordination, claims that political appointees under Bondi's direction overruled career staff and settled a major tech merger—Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks—in a manner that undermined the rule of law.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
The New York Times reported that Prasad overruled his center’s experts on the use of COVID vaccines, recommending restricting the shots.
—ProPublica, 21 Aug. 2025
If safety concerns can be overruled for engagement metrics, the system will inevitably crumble.
—Douglas B. Laney, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
The 1976 jury recommended life in prison, but the judge overruled the decision and imposed two death sentences.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2025
Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 31 Aug. 2025
The school board denied the petition but it was overruled by the San Diego County Board of Education, the first charter school approved on appeal by the county since 2003.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Following the Beverly Hills Unified School District board’s vote to display Israeli flags on all its campuses, Superintendent Alex Cherniss overruled the decision, citing safety concerns.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 30 Aug. 2025
Maybe general manager Andrew Luck, who was in the Stanford press box, should have overruled that call.
—Erick Smith, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
Roger Alford, who was fired in July for alleged insubordination, claims that political appointees under Bondi's direction overruled career staff and settled a major tech merger—Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks—in a manner that undermined the rule of law.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
The New York Times reported that Prasad overruled his center’s experts on the use of COVID vaccines, recommending restricting the shots.
—ProPublica, 21 Aug. 2025
If safety concerns can be overruled for engagement metrics, the system will inevitably crumble.
—Douglas B. Laney, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
The 1976 jury recommended life in prison, but the judge overruled the decision and imposed two death sentences.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overruled
Verb
-
The club rejected her for lack of record.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Combine uneven play with 11 penalties and that’s a cocktail even the Florida student section nauseously rejected.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Spurs have, for now, dismissed takeover talk.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
His previous criminal history includes two violations of an abuse prevention order and a charge of destruction of property, all of which have been dismissed.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Mace's former fiancé denied the accusations.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Caracas has denied this repeatedly.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In one practice, McCarthy refused to throw an easy short pass and opted instead to throw a deeper-developing route.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
While there was plenty of blame to go around following the Giants' 21-6 loss, head coach Brian Daboll seemingly refused to point the finger at Wilson despite his underwhelming performance.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
According to a passenger who spotted her aboard the plane, the congressional representative had ignored a friendly greeting from the economy-cabin flier.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Sometimes, they’d be turned away, and other times, ignored.—
David Rodriguez Muñoz,
Freep.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overruled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overruled. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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