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 Jeanie and her lawyer believe a 2017 court order keeps them from overruling her. — Zach Harper, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026 With such a change, political leaders who overrule the science would have to do so on the public record. — Nahid Bhadelia, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2026 Campaign finances is a topic among Alaska voters and across the United States this year, as the Supreme Court in June overruled a quarter-century-old decision capping how much parties can spend in coordination with candidates. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026 Vehicle tax increases are coming to Indianapolis after the City-County Council overruled Mayor Joe Hogsett's veto of the policy. — Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 11 Aug. 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
  • The Athletic reported on Monday that all parties have now been in direct communication to confirm the deal is off after City’s bid of an initial £75m and £5m in add-ons was rejected.
    — The Athletic UK Staff, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Palal also rejected the defense’s contention that Davis fabricated his accounts to make money.
    — Jonathan Landrum Jr, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of reject
Verb
  • But Smith dismissed the idea that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was trying to boost his chances in upcoming domestic elections.
    — Samantha Subin,CJ Haddad,Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Also Tuesday, just after court was dismissed, Dawn Light, 56, of Sutton, Massachusetts, was arrested outside the courthouse in Plymouth, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts State Police confirmed.
    — Blayne Alexander, NBC news, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of dismiss
Verb
  • Anderson, who long had been considered a suspect in Shakur’s killing, denied involvement before his death in an unrelated Compton shooting in 1998 at age 23.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Edwards has denied the allegations, but ended his reelection bid after the House Ethics Committee posted their investigative findings last month.
    — Claudia Grisales, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of deny
Verb
  • The filing accused Thomas of having refused to allow nannies into his house with his daughter, including one assigned by the court, and of using drugs.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Aug. 2026
  • When the district refused to scrap those policies, the agency rescinded the unrelated federal grants.
    — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of refuse
Verb
  • When combined with a hot blanket of the humidity the city has endured throughout the summer, players could be forced to withdraw from their matches or push through, risking injury.
    — Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Although the proposal will remain on Thursday’s agenda because of the 72-hour posting requirement, Kayatta said it will effectively be withdrawn during the meeting with authorization from Board President Tara Jeane.
    — Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of withdraw
Verb
  • Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has denied accusations that the government ignored warnings about an impending mass border crossing from Morocco to the enclave of Ceuta.
    — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The numbers are impossible to ignore, while Boteli’s bustling physical profile — two-footed, quick, and comfortable through the middle or out wide — means that a move to Europe’s top five leagues will soon be on the cards.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 3 Sep. 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 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
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
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All