Override Definition and Meaning

By Tayyaba Rehman & Fiza Rafique — Published on March 25, 2025

Override means to use authority to reject or cancel a decision, order, or process. e.g., The manager's decision was overridden by the board of directors.

Override Definitions

To supersede the authority or decisions of.

The court's ruling can override a local law.

To disregard or set aside.

She decided to override her initial hesitation and went on the trip.

To dominate or prevail over.

His confidence overrides his lack of experience.

In computing, to replace or alter (a method or value) in a subclass.

The programmer overrode the base method in the subclass.

To extend beyond normal limits.

The river overrode its banks during the flood.

To ride across.

To ride beyond.

To trample on.

To ride (a horse) too hard.

To prevail over; conquer

Budgetary concerns overrode all other considerations.

To declare null and void; set aside

Overrode the president's veto.

To counteract the normal operation of (an automatic control).

To extend over; overlap.

A sales commission collected by an executive in addition to the commission received by a subordinate salesperson.

See royalty.

A mechanism or system used to counteract an automatic control.

The act or an instance of nullifying.

To ride across or beyond something.

To ride over the top of something, usually forcibly.

To ride a horse too hard.

To counteract the normal operation of something; to countermand with orders of higher priority.

Congress promptly overrode the president's veto, passing the bill into law.

To give commands of a higher priority to an automated system; to take manual control of an automated system

Manual controls allow the user to override the camera's default settings.

(object-oriented) To define a new behaviour of a method by creating the same method of the superclass with the same name and signature.

How the cat runs is defined in the method run() of the class Cat, which overrides the same method with the same signature of superclass called Mammal.

A mechanism, device or procedure used to counteract an automatic control.

A royalty.

A device for prioritizing audio signals, such that certain signals receive priority over others.

(object-oriented) A method with the same name and signature as a method in a superclass, which runs instead of that method, when an object of the subclass is involved.

To ride over or across; to ride upon; to trample down.

The carter overridden with [i. e., by] his cart.

To suppress; to destroy; to supersede; to annul; to nullify; as, one law overrides another; to override a veto.

To countermand; to overrule; as, a supervisor may override the decision of a subordinate.

To replace (one system with another); as, the pilot overrode the automatic pilot and took manual control of the airplane.

To ride beyond; to pass; to outride.

I overrode him on the way.

To ride too much; to ride, as a horse, beyond its strength.

A manually operated device to correct the operation of an automatic device

The act of nullifying; making null and void; counteracting or overriding the effect or force of something

Rule against;

The Republicans were overruled when the House voted on the bill

Prevail over;

Health considerations override financial concerns

Counteract the normal operation of (an automatic gear shift in a vehicle)

Ride (a horse) too hard

To cancel or annul (something) through a more powerful effect.

New federal regulations override older state laws.

To ignore or bypass.

The pilot had to override the automatic pilot system.

To operate a vehicle or mechanism by manual means.

He had to override the automatic controls to stop the machine.

To have a more important or powerful effect than something else.

Urgency overrides the need for thoroughness in this situation.

To travel or move over; overrun.

The cavalry overrode the enemy positions during the assault.

Override Snonyms

Overrule

To decide against or reject something by authority.

The committee's decision was overruled by the CEO.

Supersede

To replace something, especially something older or less efficient.

The new software superseded the old version.

Cancel

To annul or invalidate something.

The meeting was canceled due to unforeseen circumstances.

Revoke

To officially cancel or withdraw something.

The license was revoked due to non-compliance.

Disregard

To pay no attention or ignore something.

She disregarded the warning signs at her peril.

Annul

To officially declare that something is no longer valid.

The contract was annulled by mutual consent.

Nullify

To make something legally null and void.

The law was nullified by the higher court.

Rescind

To retract, cancel, or repeal a law, order, or agreement.

The policy was quickly rescinded after public outcry.

Invalidate

To make something legally invalid.

The results were invalidated due to errors.

Prevail

To prove more powerful or superior in strength, influence, or effect.

Justice will prevail in the end.

Override Idioms & Phrases

Manual override

A control allowing manual operation despite automatic systems.

The engineers used a manual override to shut down the system.

Override a decision

To use authority to change or cancel a decision.

The director had the power to override a decision made by the committee.

Parental override

When a parent's decision supersedes that of a child or school.

The parental override was used to exempt the child from the school trip.

System override

To bypass or disable automatic system operations.

The pilot engaged the system override to regain control.

Authority override

When a higher authority cancels or changes decisions made by a lower one.

The CEO's authority override was necessary for the merger to proceed.

Safety override

A feature that bypasses normal operations for safety reasons.

The safety override was activated due to the detected fault.

Override a veto

To annul a veto through a higher authority or a sufficient majority.

The congress has the ability to override a veto from the president.

Legislative override

When a legislative body overturns a decision by another entity.

The legislative override passed the bill despite the governor's veto.

Override switch

A switch that allows manual control over an automatic function.

He hit the override switch to stop the conveyor belt.

Budget override

Ignoring budget constraints for more pressing issues.

The health crisis necessitated a budget override.

Mechanical override

Using manual controls to bypass a machine's automatic functions.

The mechanical override was engaged to correct the malfunction.

Override concern

To consider something as more important than other concerns.

Safety must override concern for cost in this project.

Protocol override

Disregarding established protocols in favor of immediate action.

The captain's protocol override saved the ship from disaster.

Emergency override

A control used in emergencies to bypass standard procedures.

The fire alarm system has an emergency override feature.

Priority override

Elevating one priority above others, usually temporarily.

The rescue operations received priority override during the natural disaster.

User override

Allowing a user to bypass or change automatic settings.

The software includes a user override option for advanced customization.

Judicial override

When a judge's decision supersedes a jury's recommendation.

The judge's judicial override resulted in a harsher sentence.

Vote to override

A formal vote to reverse a decision or veto.

The senate will vote to override the presidential veto tomorrow.

Override the system

To take control away from an automated system.

Technicians had to override the system to fix the bug.

Security override

Bypassing security measures in certain situations.

The security override allowed access during the emergency.

Override Example Sentences

The company's override of safety protocols led to a serious accident.

They needed a unanimous vote to override the chairman's objection.

The teacher's decision to override the test results sparked controversy.

The override button was pressed to halt the automated process.

Environmental concerns will override economic considerations in this case.

The software allows users to override default configurations easily.

In some cases, parental authority can override school regulations.

He used his administrative rights to override the security settings.

His experience allowed him to override the objections of younger colleagues.

The pilot's quick thinking and override of the system prevented a disaster.

An override of the previous ruling was requested by the appellant.

She had to override her fears to complete the challenge.

The emergency override system was activated during the drill.

To access the advanced features, you must override the basic settings.

The government's tax override was met with public disapproval.

Common Curiosities

How is override used in a sentence?

Override is used to indicate the act of using authority to cancel or change something, e.g., The new policy will override the old guidelines.

Why is it called override?

It's called "override" because it denotes the action of ruling over or prevailing against something previously in place.

How many syllables are in override?

There are three syllables in "override."

How do we divide override into syllables?

Override is divided into syllables as o-ver-ride.

What is the root word of override?

The root word of "override" is "ride," with "over" serving as a prefix to modify its meaning.

What is the verb form of override?

The verb form is "override," as in "to override a decision."

What is the pronunciation of override?

Override is pronounced as /ˌoʊvərˈraɪd/.

What is a stressed syllable in override?

The stressed syllable in "override" is the second one, "ver."

What is the first form of override?

The first form is "override."

What is the second form of override?

The second form is "overrode."

What is the third form of override?

The third form is "overridden."

What is the singular form of override?

The singular form is "override."

What is the opposite of override?

The opposite of "override" could be "uphold" or "comply with."

Is override an adverb?

No, "override" is not an adverb.

What part of speech is override?

"Override" is a verb.

What is another term for override?

Another term for "override" is "overrule."

Is override a vowel or consonant?

The word "override" starts with a vowel sound.

Is override a collective noun?

No, "override" is not a collective noun.

Is the word override imperative?

"Override" can be used in an imperative mood when giving commands, e.g., "Override the system now!"

Is override a negative or positive word?

"Override" is neutral; its positive or negative connotation depends on the context.

Is override a countable noun?

As a noun, "override" is usually uncountable, referring to the concept or act of overriding.

Is the override term a metaphor?

"Override" can be used metaphorically to describe any situation where one authority or principle supersedes another.

Which vowel is used before override?

The vowel "o" is used before "override," as in the word itself.

Which article is used with override?

The articles "the" or "an" can be used with "override," depending on whether it is used as a noun or in a specific context.

Is override a noun or adjective?

"Override" can function as both a noun and a verb, but it is primarily used as a verb.

Is override an abstract noun?

As a noun, "override" can be considered abstract since it refers to a concept or action rather than a tangible object.

Is the word override Gerund?

"Overriding" is the gerund form of the verb "override."

Is the word “override” a Direct object or an Indirect object?

"Override" can be the action directed at an object (direct object) in a sentence, e.g., "They decided to override the veto."

Which conjunction is used with override?

Conjunctions like "and" or "but" can be used with "override" in compound sentences.

What is the plural form of override?

Override does not have a plural form as it is a verb; its uses vary with tense, not number.

Which determiner is used with override?

Determiners like "the" or "a" can be used depending on the context, especially when "override" is used as a noun.

Which preposition is used with override?

Prepositions like "of" or "to" can be used with "override," e.g., "override of the decision" or "to override a decision."

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Author Spotlight

Written by

Tayyaba Rehman

Tayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.

Co-written by

Fiza Rafique

Fiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.