as in exceeding
to go beyond the limit of
the principal overstepped her authority in ordering everyone to remain in the unheated school
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Recent Examples of overstepping
What To Know State officials describe the portal as a mechanism for documenting incidents in which federal officers may be overstepping their authority, including allegations of excessive force, unlawful detentions, improper searches or actions that appear to violate constitutional protections.
—
Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Beyond offering help, further conversation with him about his belongings is overstepping.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
More important, though, is the fact that the judge who posited that hordes of deserters could follow Vovchenko’s example seems to be overstepping his role.
—Air Mail, 25 Oct. 2025
The board is also presenting the four-day school week as an issue of local control — an ongoing tension between state lawmakers and larger cities in Missouri — suggesting the state is overstepping by requiring a public vote.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2025
The two drawers and open shelf give you just enough room for essentials (book, glasses, eye masks) without overstepping into dresser territory.
—Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2025
Then, during one or two moments of lightly overstepping the limit of grip, the S5’s good chassis communication enabled easy correction via a hint of counter-steer.
—Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
During his first term, his Administration tried to require drugmakers to include their products’ sticker prices in TV ads, but a federal judge blocked it on the grounds that HHS was overstepping its authority.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Local officials in The Prairie State have pushed back on the administration’s threat, suggesting Trump is overstepping his authority.
—Steff Danielle Thomas, The Hill, 6 Sep. 2025
Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Beyond offering help, further conversation with him about his belongings is overstepping.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
More important, though, is the fact that the judge who posited that hordes of deserters could follow Vovchenko’s example seems to be overstepping his role.
—Air Mail, 25 Oct. 2025
The board is also presenting the four-day school week as an issue of local control — an ongoing tension between state lawmakers and larger cities in Missouri — suggesting the state is overstepping by requiring a public vote.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2025
The two drawers and open shelf give you just enough room for essentials (book, glasses, eye masks) without overstepping into dresser territory.
—Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2025
Then, during one or two moments of lightly overstepping the limit of grip, the S5’s good chassis communication enabled easy correction via a hint of counter-steer.
—Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
During his first term, his Administration tried to require drugmakers to include their products’ sticker prices in TV ads, but a federal judge blocked it on the grounds that HHS was overstepping its authority.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Local officials in The Prairie State have pushed back on the administration’s threat, suggesting Trump is overstepping his authority.
—Steff Danielle Thomas, The Hill, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overstepping
Verb
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Five elite wing suit flyers navigate an opening in the world’s tallest hotel at speeds exceeding 124 mph.—
Tricia Escobedo,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
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Output climbed by 8% to an all-time high of almost 890,346 tons last year, according to data released by Mines and Minerals Development Minister Paul Kabuswe, who’s confident Zambia can fulfill its ambition of exceeding 1 million tons in 2026.—
Taonga Mitimingi,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That measure passed overwhelmingly, by a 2-to-1 majority, easily surpassing that of the original initiative.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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Pomegranates have reached super stature and have been dubbed the new super fruit, surpassing blueberries as the antioxidant of choice for heart health.—
Mary Ann Esposito,
Boston Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overstepping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overstepping. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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