overarching

adjective

over·​arch·​ing ˌō-vər-ˈär-chiŋ How to pronounce overarching (audio)
Synonyms of overarching
1
: forming an arch overhead
an overarching bower
an overarching bridge
2
: dominating or embracing all else
overarching goals
overarching ambition
projects of overarching public benefit—Bob Katz

Examples of overarching in a Sentence

Computer downtime is an overarching problem in all departments.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Rather than suggesting an overarching vision of the artist’s corpus and context, a dissolution into timeless simultaneity prevails. — Nicole Kaack, ARTnews.com, 30 Oct. 2026 But vision leaks, and the connection between a Tuesday morning spreadsheet and the overarching mission is not always obvious. — Kent Ingle, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026 But this approach provides only symptomatic relief to the overarching and insoluble crisis produced by his totalitarianism. — Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026 In early 2026, Cantù revealed plans to open a second stand-alone store in a European capital as part of his overarching goal to reach about eight locations in the midterm, but the move was eventually postponed. — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for overarching

Word History

First Known Use

1720, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of overarching was in 1720

Rhymes for overarching

See All Rhymes for overarching

Browse Nearby Words

overarch
overarching
overarm
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Overarching.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overarching. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on overarching

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for overarching

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All