as in exceeding
to go beyond the limit of
the principal overstepped her authority in ordering everyone to remain in the unheated school
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of overstepping
The lawsuit alleges the agency is overstepping its authority by unilaterally redefining the legal standard for hemp.
—
Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026
Jean Fisher, an administrator in DHW’s Division of Youth Safety and Permanancy, answered questions lawmakers had about the possibility of courts overstepping in cases of terminating visitations.
—Shannon Tyler
march 27, Idaho Statesman, 27 Mar. 2026
McPartlin will play Detective Mike Garner, a pigheaded CRASH detective who quickly shuts Bosch down for overstepping.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2026
The mechanic who changes your oil and mentions that your brake pads are worn is not overstepping.
—Peter Gunderman, The Conversation, 18 Mar. 2026
Sanchez-Lopez’s attorney, however, argues the sheriff is overstepping his authority.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 16 Mar. 2026
The conflict centers on the City Council adding $13 million to the JAA's budget for developing Cecil Airport, which some view as overstepping its authority.
—David Bauerlein, Florida Times-Union, 6 Mar. 2026
The federal and state governments argue that such environmental harm is not real and that the lower court was overstepping its authority.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
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
Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026
Jean Fisher, an administrator in DHW’s Division of Youth Safety and Permanancy, answered questions lawmakers had about the possibility of courts overstepping in cases of terminating visitations.
—Shannon Tyler
march 27, Idaho Statesman, 27 Mar. 2026
McPartlin will play Detective Mike Garner, a pigheaded CRASH detective who quickly shuts Bosch down for overstepping.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2026
The mechanic who changes your oil and mentions that your brake pads are worn is not overstepping.
—Peter Gunderman, The Conversation, 18 Mar. 2026
Sanchez-Lopez’s attorney, however, argues the sheriff is overstepping his authority.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 16 Mar. 2026
The conflict centers on the City Council adding $13 million to the JAA's budget for developing Cecil Airport, which some view as overstepping its authority.
—David Bauerlein, Florida Times-Union, 6 Mar. 2026
The federal and state governments argue that such environmental harm is not real and that the lower court was overstepping its authority.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overstepping
Verb
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The International Commerce Center, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), was also supposed to rise even taller than its 1,588 feet, but laws forbade it from exceeding the height of the surrounding mountains.—
Nathalie Nietzsche-Knappe,
Architectural Digest,
7 Apr. 2026
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The systems operated successfully in the stratosphere at altitudes exceeding 14 miles (23 kms), where pressure is extremely low and temperatures can drop significantly.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Three months after the Prescott deal, Juan Soto agreed to the biggest-ever contract in MLB, signing a 15-year deal worth a staggering $765m with the New York Mets, surpassing Shohei Ohtani’s $700m deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers announced in late 2023.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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Her season total for points was the fifth-best in program history, surpassing Sophie Cunningham’s 2018-19 mark.—
Aaron Segal,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overstepping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overstepping. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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