as in rejected
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 overruled
Namely, the fact that Powell’s booksellers had been raising concerns about the use AI art long before the merch drop—concerns that management repeatedly overruled.
—
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2025
More on the Voters Right to Know Act that 72% of Arizona voters passed in 2022 and why it could be overruled.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 9 Sep. 2025
While the Board of Immigration Appeals has final say in the case and Bondi can not directly rule, the attorney general has authority to intervene in any of the board’s cases and overruled a previously permissible legal standard from the Biden administration's policy.
—Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025
One Democrat, Councilor Nick Roberts, joined four Republicans on the committee in voting to approve the idea, but they were overruled by six Democrats.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 31 Aug. 2025
The school board denied the petition but it was overruled by the San Diego County Board of Education, the first charter school approved on appeal by the county since 2003.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Following the Beverly Hills Unified School District board’s vote to display Israeli flags on all its campuses, Superintendent Alex Cherniss overruled the decision, citing safety concerns.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 30 Aug. 2025
Maybe general manager Andrew Luck, who was in the Stanford press box, should have overruled that call.
—Erick Smith, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
Roger Alford, who was fired in July for alleged insubordination, claims that political appointees under Bondi's direction overruled career staff and settled a major tech merger—Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks—in a manner that undermined the rule of law.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2025
More on the Voters Right to Know Act that 72% of Arizona voters passed in 2022 and why it could be overruled.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 9 Sep. 2025
While the Board of Immigration Appeals has final say in the case and Bondi can not directly rule, the attorney general has authority to intervene in any of the board’s cases and overruled a previously permissible legal standard from the Biden administration's policy.
—Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025
One Democrat, Councilor Nick Roberts, joined four Republicans on the committee in voting to approve the idea, but they were overruled by six Democrats.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 31 Aug. 2025
The school board denied the petition but it was overruled by the San Diego County Board of Education, the first charter school approved on appeal by the county since 2003.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Following the Beverly Hills Unified School District board’s vote to display Israeli flags on all its campuses, Superintendent Alex Cherniss overruled the decision, citing safety concerns.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 30 Aug. 2025
Maybe general manager Andrew Luck, who was in the Stanford press box, should have overruled that call.
—Erick Smith, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
Roger Alford, who was fired in July for alleged insubordination, claims that political appointees under Bondi's direction overruled career staff and settled a major tech merger—Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks—in a manner that undermined the rule of law.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overruled
Verb
-
The club rejected her for lack of record.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Combine uneven play with 11 penalties and that’s a cocktail even the Florida student section nauseously rejected.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Spurs have, for now, dismissed takeover talk.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
His previous criminal history includes two violations of an abuse prevention order and a charge of destruction of property, all of which have been dismissed.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Her lawsuit denied the charges but did not provide more details.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The doctor spent more than 1,300 days incarcerated while repeatedly denied bail.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In one practice, McCarthy refused to throw an easy short pass and opted instead to throw a deeper-developing route.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
While there was plenty of blame to go around following the Giants' 21-6 loss, head coach Brian Daboll seemingly refused to point the finger at Wilson despite his underwhelming performance.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
According to a passenger who spotted her aboard the plane, the congressional representative had ignored a friendly greeting from the economy-cabin flier.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Sometimes, they’d be turned away, and other times, ignored.—
David Rodriguez Muñoz,
Freep.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overruled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overruled. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share