overrule

verb

Definition of overrulenext
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.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of overrule The administration then asked the Supreme Court to overrule them. — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026 Then on Wednesday, Dino overruled his colleague and restored the two senior police officials to their posts. — ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026 Then on Wednesday, Justice Flávio Dino overruled his colleague and restored the two senior police officials to their posts. — Mauricio Savarese, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026 But in 2024, the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals overruled the administrator, approving the special use permit for the shop by a 3-2 vote. — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for overrule
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overrule
  1. reject
  2. dismiss
  3. deny
  4. refuse
  5. withdraw
  6. ignore
Verb
  • Quebec voters have twice rejected independence, most recently by a razor-thin margin in a 1995 referendum.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • For countries that rejected the open international order, as the axis countries do today, the benefits were far fewer and the penalties considerable.
    — Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of reject
Verb
  • The stance has seen Newsom, who warns the passage of Prop 40 could see an exodus of the super rich from California, mocked and dismissed by fellow Democrats.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The complaint was ultimately dismissed, and Iowa's Republican leaders celebrated the ruling.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of dismiss
Verb
  • The former president denied the accusations and called the proceedings politically motivated.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Trump on Monday alluded to his own frustrations over the reports, which include allegations that Guilfoyle tried to solicit money from a donor to pay off her credit card ahead of her confirmation process (Guilfoyle has denied the story).
    — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of deny
Verb
  • Gee refused to budge, saying the 10-year ban was firm and accusing the national organizations of encouraging the break.
    — Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • In one instance, a Minnesota hotel that refused to let immigration officers stay there in January apologized after public criticism from DHS, saying the decision violated its internal policies.
    — Anthony Izaguirre, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of refuse
Verb
  • The Republican governor did not provide a reason for withdrawing Thompson’s death warrant but had temporarily stayed his execution last month pending a psychiatric evaluation.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • According to online court records, two of the three cases were settled and one was withdrawn.
    — Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of withdraw
Verb
  • There is so much going on in all of our lives but far too much beauty in this world to ignore.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Many structures are built with substandard materials and safety regulations are frequently ignored to reduce costs.
    — Riaz Khan, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of ignore

Browse Nearby Words

overrode
overrule
overruled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Overrule.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overrule. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All