OVERRULES Synonyms: 86 Similar and Opposite Words

overrules

verb

present tense third-person singular of overrule

as in rejects

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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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 overrules That order could keep the merger on pause indefinitely while the litigation moves forward, which means it could be paused for years, unless an appeals court overrules her. — Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 Whatever that might be in people’s minds, then that’s going to be an impressive government that comes down and overrules that connection that people have with whatever the highest government is in their mind. — Torie Bosch, STAT, 6 June 2026 Accessibility Although there are areas where design overrules function, the majority of the resort meets ADA standards with ramps and wheelchair-friendly pathways. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2026 Echoing a common theme from older participants, Kelle Phillips said Trump’s decision was a pragmatic reaction to a real threat that overrules the best hopes of campaign rhetoric. — Thomas Beaumont, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026 The appellate court's decision overrules a lower court judge who refused to dismiss Gary's lawsuit last year, leading gun manufacturers to appeal. — Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 29 Dec. 2025 The legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 79, overrules local zoning to boost development in busy areas of the Golden State, allowing developers to build tall apartment and condo buildings of up to nine stories in single-family areas near certain transit stops. — Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025 The decision overrules a lower court's decision that had blocked USAID cuts. — Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for overrules

Verb

When a human accepts, rejects or overrides the agent, the organization can reconstruct why—not from a comment field that made sense to the person who wrote it, but from a structured record that holds its meaning after they're gone.

— Krupesh Bhat, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Israel rejects this, viewing the area as disputed rather than occupied.

— Pesha Magid Reuters, Arkansas Online, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of rejects

Verb

After roll call and then assisting a man who sought to change his address, Judge Cho dismisses the other immigrants without speaking to them individually.

— Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Aug. 2026
The Heritage Foundation’s Yenor dismisses the notion that elite sports pose any threat to male fertility, observing to SciAm that, since 1990, Super Bowl–winning quarterbacks have had a higher than average number of children.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of dismisses

Verb

In the lawsuit, Kupsh acknowledges attending most of the demonstrations but denies being a ringleader, blocking anyone from campus walkways or refusing orders.

— Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Meta denies these claims, asserting human decisions guide workforce management.

— Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of denies

Verb

But Buddy, the feature debut of Casper Kelly, lets the genre’s relentlessly upbeat tone slowly curdle in the opening sequence, in which one of the kids refuses to play along with day’s lesson about being brave and trying new things.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
With his final book, however, Morris refuses to draw conclusions, letting the ambiguity of Surrealists’ meanings stand.

— Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of refuses

Verb

But that formulation ignores the crucial matter of what those things do to the people who use them.

— Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
The senator’s second argument, concerning conference expansion, ignores the fact that the Act places no restrictions on UConn’s ability to join any conference.

— Randy Levine, Hartford Courant, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of ignores

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“Overrules.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overrules. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of overrules

verb

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