over·turn
ˌō-vər-ˈtərn 
overturned; overturning; overturns
1
: to cause to turn over : upset
overturned the vase
2
a
: invalidate, destroy
… the degree to which accident could overturn the schemes of wise men …—
Oscar Handlin
b
: reverse sense 2a
overturn a court ruling
over·turn
ˈō-vər-ˌtərn
1
: the act of overturning : the state of being overturned
2
: the sinking of surface water and rise of bottom water in a lake or sea that results from changes in temperature that commonly occur in spring and fall
Examples of overturn in a Sentence
Verb
The dog overturned the bowl.
The truck went off the road and overturned several times.
The court overturned his conviction.
Recent Examples on the Web
Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
The justices seemed skeptical that Trump could impose the tariffs unilaterally; about 1,000 companies have asked the court to overturn them.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026
Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
It was enacted after the 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overturn
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Verb
By an 11-1 vote, a Miami-Dade County jury originally sentenced him to death, but that sentence was overturned in 2017 after a new state law ruled it unconstitutional for a death sentence to be imposed without a unanimous jury verdict, according to the court records.
—Noun
White and the three commissioners held a hearing in Kiowa on Xcel Energy’s request that the PUC overturn Elbert County’s denial of permits for construction of 48 miles of transmission lines and equipment.
—Cite this Entry
“Overturn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overturn. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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