Words / C1

ohv-uh-ROOL/ˌəʊvəˈruːl/

To overrule is to reject a decision from higher official power: the chair was overruled, a court overrules a precedent. Overturn is a cousin; cancel is everyday and wider; override can be systems or authority. Do not let a slogan overrule ethics.

Meaning

To officially reject a decision by using higher authority.

Examples

• “Ethics can overrule a keen chair; a slogan cannot.”
• “Cancel is everyday. Overturn a verdict is legal. Override a setting is technical. Oversight (already in the dictionary) is watching, or a mistake — not the verb. Higher authority must be real, named, and minuted.”

Good to know

Overturn from above. Everyday: cancel (wider). Cousin: override. Mix-up: oversight (watch / mistake). A slogan has no standing.

Near in meaning

cancel

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