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
The Delaware Supreme Court in December 2025 overruled McCormick and reinstated the pay plan.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2026
Commission officials overruled the chief and found that some of the actions by the officers did not comply with department policies.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Mayor Mamdani has once wisely again overruled Candidate Mamdani, reversing a brash and reckless campaign promise with the sober reality of governing, this one on the CityFHEPS housing voucher program.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
The groups acknowledged concerns voiced by their own members but overruled those objections based on the international spirit of the event.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 26 Mar. 2026
Those objections were overruled.
—Sarah Todd, STAT, 20 Mar. 2026
They were overruled 11-2 with two abstentions.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 13 Mar. 2026
The court’s decision overruled a decision by the Lake County Electoral Board, chaired by Vega, which decided in November in a 2-1 vote to allow Ruiz to remain on the ballot, despite the challenge.
—Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
The Dred Scott decision was later overruled by the ratification of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments after the Civil War, which outlawed slavery, gave former slaves citizenship, and gave former slaves voting rights, respectively.
—Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2026
Commission officials overruled the chief and found that some of the actions by the officers did not comply with department policies.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Mayor Mamdani has once wisely again overruled Candidate Mamdani, reversing a brash and reckless campaign promise with the sober reality of governing, this one on the CityFHEPS housing voucher program.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
The groups acknowledged concerns voiced by their own members but overruled those objections based on the international spirit of the event.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 26 Mar. 2026
Those objections were overruled.
—Sarah Todd, STAT, 20 Mar. 2026
They were overruled 11-2 with two abstentions.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 13 Mar. 2026
The court’s decision overruled a decision by the Lake County Electoral Board, chaired by Vega, which decided in November in a 2-1 vote to allow Ruiz to remain on the ballot, despite the challenge.
—Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
The Dred Scott decision was later overruled by the ratification of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments after the Civil War, which outlawed slavery, gave former slaves citizenship, and gave former slaves voting rights, respectively.
—Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overruled
Verb
-
Democrats are pushing for additional restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which Thune and Republicans have rejected so far.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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About 2% of authors were caught, and their papers rejected, Nature reported.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In February, the judge overseeing the case dismissed several claims against the bank, but let stand two others.—
Chase Jordan,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Far too often, symptoms such as fatigue, swelling, shortness of breath and nerve pain are misdiagnosed or dismissed.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The army has denied targeting the medical facility, which is in an area controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
-
After asking him to model courage, and to be the container of everyone’s hope—and after so many of Rozos’s peers loudly cheered him on—NYU denied Rozos their diploma.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the process, the Bulls refused to shut down players such as center Jalen Smith, who finally was shut down for the season this week after reaggravating a calf injury once again in Wednesday’s game.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
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The woman refused any more information and was placed in the women’s ward.—
Kevin Foster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Concerns raised by witnesses An external investigation found no evidence that district employees knew of or ignored prior misconduct, though parents and lawmakers have questioned the district's oversight.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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To be clear, Peacock (which, like Sky, is part of Comcast) hardly ignored SNL UK prior to its launch.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overruled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overruled. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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