overrules

verb

present tense third-person singular of overrule
as in rejects
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 overrules That order could keep the merger on pause indefinitely while the litigation moves forward, which means it could be paused for years, unless an appeals court overrules her. — Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 Whatever that might be in people’s minds, then that’s going to be an impressive government that comes down and overrules that connection that people have with whatever the highest government is in their mind. — Torie Bosch, STAT, 6 June 2026 Accessibility Although there are areas where design overrules function, the majority of the resort meets ADA standards with ramps and wheelchair-friendly pathways. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2026 Echoing a common theme from older participants, Kelle Phillips said Trump’s decision was a pragmatic reaction to a real threat that overrules the best hopes of campaign rhetoric. — Thomas Beaumont, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026 The appellate court's decision overrules a lower court judge who refused to dismiss Gary's lawsuit last year, leading gun manufacturers to appeal. — Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 29 Dec. 2025 The legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 79, overrules local zoning to boost development in busy areas of the Golden State, allowing developers to build tall apartment and condo buildings of up to nine stories in single-family areas near certain transit stops. — Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025 The decision overrules a lower court's decision that had blocked USAID cuts. — Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overrules
  1. rejects
  2. dismisses
  3. denies
  4. refuses
  5. ignores
Verb
  • However, a large percentage of the Brazilian electorate also consistently rejects the prospect of voting for another Bolsonaro for president.
    — David Unsworth, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Human Rights Watch said those expulsions amounted to war crimes, a charge that Israel rejects.
    — Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of rejects
Verb
  • The incumbent's campaign dismisses the Democratic push as the last-ditch effort of a campaign that will fall short.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Ben-Gvir dismisses concerns that such policies would cement Israel’s status as a pariah state.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of dismisses
Verb
  • Lula’s victory also denies Trump another political ally in Latin America, which include Argentinian President Javier Milei and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The investigation ended without charges against Collins or her staff, and her office denies wrongdoing.
    — Emma Specter, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of denies
Verb
  • Why this 78-year-old professor refuses to move Marvin's frustration goes beyond having robots share the sidewalk.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The wart that refuses to go away is whatever is up with Vicki and Tamra.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of refuses
Verb
  • Any strategy that ignores that skepticism is unlikely to survive the next election or to be funded by the Congress that is likely to emerge from it.
    — Philip H. Gordon, Foreign Affairs, 12 Oct. 2026
  • But the unbridled embrace of aquaculture as a sustainable answer to feeding the planet ignores some very real costs.
    — Ian Urbina, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of ignores

Browse Nearby Words

overruled
overrules
overruling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Overrules.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overrules. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
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 milieu

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

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All