How to Use oversteer in a Sentence

oversteer

noun
  • The rear-drive dynamic allows for oversteer with a blip of the throttle.
    — Tom Voelk, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2016
  • Choosing between torque steer and oversteer is an easy decision.
    — Dave Vanderwerp, Car and Driver, 29 Nov. 2021
  • Shaun is running wide of the racing line and working hard to stop the car from snapping into oversteer.
    — Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2024
  • Power oversteer is now pretty much out of the question, but that isn't entirely a bad thing.
    — Dave Vanderwerp, Car and Driver, 19 June 2020
  • Without it, power-on oversteer is a danger on anything slicker than bone-dry asphalt.
    — Frank Markus, Car and Driver, 6 Aug. 2020
  • At this point, the foils can lose grip in the water, much like the feeling of understeer or oversteer when cornering at high speed in a car.
    — Andrew Rice, New York Times, 7 May 2026
  • The mighty engine has more than enough urge to overwhelm the rear tires and send the STO into lurid oversteer.
    — Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 25 Nov. 2020
  • The on-off power, exacerbated by lots of mass in the rear and a light front end, make oversteer a reality.
    — Robert Ross, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2025
  • Better yet, Lexus's coupe gladly hangs out its tail to display the balanced power oversteer of a potent rear-drive machine.
    — Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 26 June 2020
  • And oversteer never feels more than an indelicate throttle-prod away, especially on damp roads and with modest tires.
    — Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 31 May 2022
  • The second mode is a Drift mode, which sets up the all-wheel-drive system and stability control to allow for some delightful oversteer.
    — David Beard, Car and Driver, 9 Aug. 2021
  • And the confidence that the tail won’t cut loose in a bout of unexpected throttle-liftoff oversteer is, surprisingly, quick to be gained when behind the wheel.
    — Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2024
  • Throw everything toward the bow, and the 5 N acts just like a front-wheel-drive car would on the ice—terminal understeer with bouts of liftoff oversteer.
    — Andrew Krok, Car and Driver, 16 Mar. 2023
  • The cornering response is then linear, with a noticeable bias toward oversteer that encourages tail-out driving.
    — Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 1 Feb. 2023
  • The steering is a little wooden-feeling at times—too slow, a bit too heavy, and slightly numb to the touch—but any front-driver that can be cajoled into oversteer is all right by us.
    — Don Sherman, Car and Driver, 22 Feb. 2023
  • This has stood out, especially when compared to Hamilton's aggressive steering style, which led to a high level of oversteer.
    — Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
  • The system is tuned to favor sending engine torque to the rear axle, meaning throttle-on oversteer is still always available at the aggressive flex of a right ankle.
    — Alexander Stoklosa, Car and Driver, 10 Feb. 2018
  • Siegel’s Crash Details Kanaan said the track got cooler toward the late afternoon, Siegel’s car picked up front grip and started to get oversteer.
    — Bruce Martin, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
  • In Comfort mode, there's simply an invisible guardrail preventing power oversteer.
    — Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 19 Dec. 2021
  • Foot to the floor acceleration through the curve and slalom resulted in just smooth, neutral handling with no oversteer or understeer and no jerking of the car around as the brakes shifted from side to side.
    — Sam Abuelsamid, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2023
  • Students will learn emergency braking and skid control, how to control unintended oversteer and understeer and how to avoid accidents.
    — Jeff Yip, Houston Chronicle, 25 Apr. 2018
  • Easing off the accelerator persuades the car to rotate and tighten its line neatly, and snapping the throttle shut with enough lateral load can even bring modest oversteer.
    — Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 2 Dec. 2021
  • Red Bull struggled to find the right balance, failing to address the mid-corner, slow-speed understeer that affected the car without creating oversteer in faster corners.
    — Dan Cancian, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
  • And while the more potent rear motor seems like a power-oversteer dream, the only partially defeatable stability control awakens you to a less fun reality.
    — Dave Vanderwerp, Car and Driver, 8 Dec. 2022
  • The first part of the turn is dispatched without drama, but as Moers feeds the power back in, there is a flare of revs, a jolt of oversteer, and the sudden application of some corrective steering lock.
    — Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 21 July 2021
  • The onboard video from the Racing Bulls car reveals Lawson’s split-second oversteer snap correction played a big part in the collision that left both with punctures.
    — Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
  • In Tour mode, throttle response is mellower, and the prototype's stability-control system could be felt working to quell both understeer and oversteer.
    — Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 8 Mar. 2022
  • Wind direction can transform how a car feels for a driver — if gusts come from a new angle and suddenly add understeer or oversteer, the car’s front end either won’t turn fast enough or the rear suddenly swings around too quickly as a result.
    — Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 4 May 2026
  • This one-day, two-night, ladies-only program teaches everything from skid recoveries, to correcting understeer and oversteer, to braking techniques, all with the aim of building confidence to drive on snow and ice.
    — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Hamilton attempted to correct the oversteer but crashed into the barrier, severely damaging the front right section of his SF-25.
    — Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oversteer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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