English dictionary — definitions & meanings

overreaction

noun

A response that goes well beyond what the situation warrants.

overrefined

adj

Refined to an excessive degree

override

verb

To take priority over, or cancel out, an existing decision, rule, or system.

overriding

adj

More important than anything else in the situation; taking priority.

overrule

verb

To reject or reverse a decision using higher authority.

overrun

verb

To spread over or invade a place in large numbers, often taking full control of it.

overseas

adj

Located in or coming from another country, typically across the sea.

oversee

verb

To supervise or take responsibility for a person, project, or process.

overseer

noun

A person who supervises the work of others.

oversend

verb

To send an amount greater than what is required; to oversupply.

oversensitive

adj

Having excessive sensitivity; reacting to stimuli too readily; thin-skinned.

overshadow

verb

To obscure something by casting a shadow.

overshadowed

adj

Made to seem less important because something else nearby drew more attention.

overshake

verb

To shake too much.

overshot

adj

Powered by water that flows in over the top, as with certain water wheels.

overside

adj

Located or positioned over the side, especially of a ship.

oversight

noun

A mistake made by failing to notice or consider something.

oversize

adj

Larger than normal.

oversized

adj

Larger than the normal or expected size for something of its kind.

overslaugh

noun

A barrier in a river.

oversleep

verb

To sleep for longer than you meant to, missing the time you were supposed to wake up.

overslop

noun

An outer garment or slop.

overspill

verb

To spill over, to overflow, to spill out of.

overstand

verb

To stand or insist too much or too long; overstay.

overstate

verb

To state or claim too much.

overstated

adj

Having been overstated; exaggerated; stated, displayed, or presented too grandly or prominently.

overstatement

noun

An exaggeration; a statement in excess of what is reasonable.

oversteer

noun

The condition in which the rear wheels of a car don't follow the desired curve while cornering, the rear wheels losing a degree of traction and so skidding off the required line into a spin.

overstep

verb

To go further than is allowed or appropriate; to cross a line.

overstride

verb

To run or walk with an overly long stride.

oversum

noun

A whole that is more than the sum of its parts; superaddition.

oversummer

verb

To spend the summer (in a particular place or form).

oversupply

verb

To supply more than is needed.

overt

adj

Done openly, not hidden or disguised.

overtake

verb

To pass a slower vehicle, runner, or competitor ahead of you.

overtaken

adj

Caught by surprise, or beaten and passed by something else.

overtaking

noun

The act of passing a slower vehicle or competitor.

overthink

verb

To think about something for too long or too hard, often making a simple decision harder than it needs to be.

overthinking

noun

Spending too much time and worry analyzing something.

overthrow

verb

To remove a government or leader from power by force.

overthwart

prep

From one side to the other of.

overthwartly

adv

In an overthwart manner; going across.

overthwartness

noun

The state of being overthwart; perverseness.

overtime

noun

Extra time worked beyond someone's normal hours, or the higher pay for that work.

overtly

adv

In a way that is open and obvious, not hidden.

Overton

name

An English surname and place name, meaning "upper settlement" or "town on the river bank".

overtone

noun

A tone whose frequency is an integer multiple of another; a member of the harmonic series.

overtop

verb

To be higher than; to rise over the top of.

overtown

name

A hamlet in Burrow-with-Burrow parish, Lancaster district, Lancashire, England (OS grid ref SD6276).

overture

noun

A first approach or proposal made to start talks or a relationship.

overturn

verb

To flip something over, or to cause a vehicle to roll onto its side or roof.

overturning

noun

The act by which something is overturned.

overused

adj

Used too much, or too often.

overvaluation

noun

An instance of overvaluing.

overvalue

verb

To assign an excessive value to something.

overview

noun

A short summary that covers the main points of something without going into detail.

overwatch

verb

To keep watch over something from a position of protection or support.

overwater

adj

By or across water, especially of travel.

overweening

adj

Unduly confident; (sometimes also) arrogant.

overweight

adj

Weighing more than is considered healthy for one's height and build.

overwhelm

verb

To completely overpower someone or something, whether physically or emotionally.

overwhelmed

adj

Completely overcome by emotion, work, or difficulty, to the point of struggling to cope.

overwhelming

adj

So strong, large, or intense that it is hard to resist or cope with.

overwhelmingly

adv

To a very great extent; by far the largest amount or degree.

overwin

verb

To overcome; gain one's point; exceed.

overwinter

verb

To keep or preserve for the winter.

overwork

verb

To make someone work too hard, or to work too hard yourself.

overworked

adj

Made to work too hard, often to the point of exhaustion.

overwrought

adj

Extremely nervous, upset, or agitated.

overzealous

adj

Too eager or enthusiastic, often to an unhelpful or excessive degree.

oviraptor

noun

Any of several bipedal dinosaurs, of the genus Oviraptor, from the late Cretaceous period.

ovoid

adj

Shaped like an oval.

ovular

adj

Of or pertaining to an ovule.

ovulation

noun

The release of an egg from an ovary as part of the reproductive cycle.

ovum

noun

The female gamete in animals; the egg cell.

ow

intj

An exclamation of sudden pain.

owain

name

A male given name from Welsh, equivalent to English Owen.

owe

verb

To be required to pay money back to someone.

owed

adj

Due to be paid or given back.

Owen

name

A masculine given name of Welsh origin, meaning "young warrior" or "well-born".

Owens

name

A Welsh surname, meaning "son of Owen".

owie

noun

A small, minor injury, especially in a child's speech.

owing

adj

Still needing to be paid.

owings

noun

That which is owed; debt.

owl

noun

A mostly nocturnal bird of prey with large forward-facing eyes and a sharp, hooked beak.

own

adj

Belonging to a particular person; used to stress possession.

owndom

noun

Personal belongings; possessions.

owned

adj

Belonging to a specific person, group, or category of owner.

owner

noun

A person or group who legally possesses something.

ownership

noun

The legal right of possessing something.

owt

pron

Anything (a Northern English dialect word).

ox

noun

A castrated adult male of domestic cattle, traditionally used to pull carts or ploughs.

oxalic

adj

Of or pertaining to oxalic acid or its derivatives.

oxalis

noun

Any of various ornamental flowering plants of the genus Oxalis

oxana

name

A transliteration of the Russian or Ukrainian female given name Окса́на (Oksána).

oxen

noun

The plural of ox — large cattle traditionally used for pulling ploughs, carts, or heavy loads.

oxidane

noun

An IUPAC-compliant name for water, H₂O.

oxidation

noun

A chemical reaction in which a substance loses electrons; in everyday terms, the reaction of a material with oxygen, as when iron rusts or a cut apple browns.

oxide

noun

A chemical compound formed when oxygen combines with another element.

oxidize

verb

To combine with oxygen or otherwise make an oxide.

oxidized

adj

That has reacted with oxygen, or been modified by oxidation

oxlip

noun

A plant of species Primula elatior, similar to cowslip (Primula veris) but with larger, pale yellow flowers.

Oxnard

name

A city in Southern California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

oxo

noun

A substituent oxygen atom connected to another atom by a double bond.

oxter

verb

To hug with the arms, or support by taking the arm of.

oxy

noun

In chemistry, a functional group made of an oxygen atom bonded between two carbon groups (as found in ethers).

oxycodone

noun

A strong, addictive prescription painkiller derived partly from opium, similar in effect to morphine.

OxyContin

noun

A brand-name, slow-release painkiller containing oxycodone, notorious for fuelling opioid addiction in the US.

oxygen

noun

A colourless, odourless gas that makes up about a fifth of the air and is essential for humans and animals to breathe.

oxygenase

noun

An enzyme which catalyses biochemical reactions with oxygen.

oxygenate

verb

To treat or infuse with oxygen.

oxygenation

noun

The process of reacting or treating something with oxygen.

oxylith

noun

A substance, containing sodium peroxide and other salts, which releases oxygen upon contact with water.

oxymoron

noun

A figure of speech that pairs two contradictory words for effect, such as "deafening silence."

oxytocic

adj

Serving to promote uterine contractions, thus accelerating childbirth.

oxytocin

noun

A hormone that triggers labour contractions and milk production, and is also linked to trust and emotional bonding.

oy

intj

An exclamation of mild frustration, worry, or exasperation.

oy vey

interjection

An exclamation of dismay, exasperation or weary despair, borrowed from Yiddish. It is the sound of someone reacting to bad news, foolishness or one problem too many.

oyabun

noun

The top boss of a yakuza crime family.

Oyama

name

A Japanese surname, meaning "great mountain".

oyster

noun

A soft-bodied shellfish that lives inside a hard, rough shell, often eaten raw and sometimes producing pearls.

Oz

noun

Abbreviation for ounce, a small unit of weight.

Ozaki

name

A Japanese surname, literally meaning "small cape" or "small peninsula".

Ozawa

name

A Japanese surname, meaning "small marsh".

ozone

noun

A form of oxygen with three atoms per molecule instead of the usual two, found in a protective layer high in the atmosphere.

Ozzie

noun

Informal term for an Australian person.

Ozzy

name

A nickname for someone named Oswald or Oscar, or a nickname referring to the surname Osbourne.