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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

overset.

To knock over or overturn (someone or something); to capsize, to upset.

7 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/ˌəʊvəˈsɛt/Received-Pronunciation/ˌoʊvəɹˈsɛt/General-American
  1. To knock over or overturn (someone or something); to capsize, to upset.

    transitive
  2. To physically or mentally disturb (someone); to upset; specifically, to make (someone) ill, especially nauseous; to nauseate, to sicken.

    figuratively · transitive
  3. To throw (something, such as an organization, a plan, etc.) into confusion or out of order; to subvert, to unsettle, to upset.

    figuratively · transitive
  4. To translate (a text).

    figuratively · rare · transitive
  5. To set (copy or type) in excess of a given space.

    figuratively · transitive
  6. To recover from (an illness).

    Scotland · figuratively · transitive
  7. To cover (the surface of something) with objects.

    obsolete · transitive
  8. To oppress or overwhelm (someone, their thoughts, etc.); to beset; also, to overpower or overthrow (someone, an army, a people, etc.) by force; to defeat, to overwhelm.

    obsolete · transitive
  9. To press (something) down heavily; to compress; also, to choke (a plant).

    obsolete · transitive
  10. To put too heavy a load on (something); to overload.

    obsolete · transitive
  11. To come to rest over (something); to settle.

    obsolete · rare · transitive
  12. To impose too heavy a tax on (someone); to overtax.

    figuratively · obsolete · rare · transitive
  13. To recover (money) given in an exchange.

    obsolete · transitive
  14. To coil or stow away (a cable, a rope, etc.).

    obsolete · transitive
  15. To turn, or to be turned, over; to capsize; to, or to be, upset.

    archaic · intransitive
  16. Of a person or thing (such as an organization or plan): to become unbalanced or thrown into confusion; to be put into disarray.

    intransitive · obsolete
Where this word comes from

PIE word *upér The verb is derived from Middle English oversetten (“to place or set over, cover; to assail; to defeat, overcome, overpower, overthrow; to defer; to discredit, refute; to disregard, overlook, set aside; to hinder; to oppress; to repulse”), from Old English ofersettan (“to put in a position of authority; to overcome or be overcome; to set over”), from Proto-West Germanic *ubarsattjan (“to place above, set over; to establish, install”), from *ubarsittjan (“to abstain from, neglect; to occupy, possess; to sit over or upon”), from *ubar- (prefix meaning ‘above, over’) + *sittjan (“to sit”) (from Proto-Germanic *sitjaną (“to sit”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“to sit”)). By surface analysis, over- (prefix meaning ‘above, higher; excessive, excessively’) + set (verb). Doublet of oversit. Verb sense 1.2.3 (“to translate (a text)”) is probably a calque of German übersetzen. The adjective is derived from overset, the past participle form of the verb. The noun is also derived from the verb. cognates * Dutch overzetten (“to ferry, transport, translate”) * Old High German ubarsezzen (Middle High German übersetzen, modern German übersetzen (“to cross over, translate”)) * Saterland Frisian uursätte (“to cross over, translate”) * Swedish översätta (“to translate”) * West Frisian oersette (“to translate”)

adj/ˌəʊvəˈsɛt/Received-Pronunciation/ˌoʊvəɹˈsɛt/General-American
  1. Having been overset (verb sense). Capsized, overturned, upset.

    not-comparable
  2. Having been overset (verb sense). Of copy or type: set in excess of a given space.

    not-comparable
Where this word comes from

PIE word *upér The verb is derived from Middle English oversetten (“to place or set over, cover; to assail; to defeat, overcome, overpower, overthrow; to defer; to discredit, refute; to disregard, overlook, set aside; to hinder; to oppress; to repulse”), from Old English ofersettan (“to put in a position of authority; to overcome or be overcome; to set over”), from Proto-West Germanic *ubarsattjan (“to place above, set over; to establish, install”), from *ubarsittjan (“to abstain from, neglect; to occupy, possess; to sit over or upon”), from *ubar- (prefix meaning ‘above, over’) + *sittjan (“to sit”) (from Proto-Germanic *sitjaną (“to sit”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“to sit”)). By surface analysis, over- (prefix meaning ‘above, higher; excessive, excessively’) + set (verb). Doublet of oversit. Verb sense 1.2.3 (“to translate (a text)”) is probably a calque of German übersetzen. The adjective is derived from overset, the past participle form of the verb. The noun is also derived from the verb. cognates * Dutch overzetten (“to ferry, transport, translate”) * Old High German ubarsezzen (Middle High German übersetzen, modern German übersetzen (“to cross over, translate”)) * Saterland Frisian uursätte (“to cross over, translate”) * Swedish översätta (“to translate”) * West Frisian oersette (“to translate”)

noun/ˌəʊvəˈsɛt/Received-Pronunciation/ˌoʊvəɹˈsɛt/General-American/ˈəʊvəsɛt/Received-Pronunciation/ˈoʊvəɹˌsɛt/General-American
  1. Copy or type set in excess of a given space; (countable) an instance of this.

    uncountable
  2. An act of knocking over or overturning; a capsize or capsizing, an overturning, an upset.

    countable · obsolete · uncountable
  3. An excess, a surplus.

    countable · obsolete · rare · uncountable
Where this word comes from

PIE word *upér The verb is derived from Middle English oversetten (“to place or set over, cover; to assail; to defeat, overcome, overpower, overthrow; to defer; to discredit, refute; to disregard, overlook, set aside; to hinder; to oppress; to repulse”), from Old English ofersettan (“to put in a position of authority; to overcome or be overcome; to set over”), from Proto-West Germanic *ubarsattjan (“to place above, set over; to establish, install”), from *ubarsittjan (“to abstain from, neglect; to occupy, possess; to sit over or upon”), from *ubar- (prefix meaning ‘above, over’) + *sittjan (“to sit”) (from Proto-Germanic *sitjaną (“to sit”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“to sit”)). By surface analysis, over- (prefix meaning ‘above, higher; excessive, excessively’) + set (verb). Doublet of oversit. Verb sense 1.2.3 (“to translate (a text)”) is probably a calque of German übersetzen. The adjective is derived from overset, the past participle form of the verb. The noun is also derived from the verb. cognates * Dutch overzetten (“to ferry, transport, translate”) * Old High German ubarsezzen (Middle High German übersetzen, modern German übersetzen (“to cross over, translate”)) * Saterland Frisian uursätte (“to cross over, translate”) * Swedish översätta (“to translate”) * West Frisian oersette (“to translate”)

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.