overshoot

verb

over·​shoot ˌō-vər-ˈshüt 

overshot ˌō-vər-ˈshät  ; overshooting

transitive verb

1

: to pass swiftly beyond

2

: to shoot or pass over or beyond so as to miss

overshoot

ˈō-vər-ˌshüt 

noun

Synonyms

• break
• exceed
• outreach
• outrun
• overpass
• overreach
• overrun
• overstep
• surpass
• transcend

Examples of overshoot in a Sentence

The plane overshot the runway.

Sometimes we overshoot our time limits.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Game 3 hero got the inbounds pass from Courtney Vandersloot but overshot the basket, much to the relief of the Lynx and the crowd. —David Close, CNN, 18 Oct. 2024

Unfortunately, Angela overshot with her answer of 15,500 — the real answer was 10,102 minutes — leading Chelsie to win the game with her guess of 1,080. —Rebecca Iannucci, TVLine, 26 Sep. 2024

And there is a risk that Washington will overshoot in scaling back financial regulations, setting the stage for a replay of the 2008 financial crisis. —Lane Kenworthy, Foreign Affairs, 14 June 2018

Levis overshot Calvin Ridley when Ridley had Tyrique Stevenson beat down the sideline. —Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

overshoot

verb

over·​shoot ˌō-vər-ˈshüt 

overshot -ˈshät  ; overshooting

1

: to miss by going beyond

the plane overshot the runway

2

: to shoot over or beyond

overshot the target

Medical Definition

overshoot

noun

over·​shoot ˈō-vər-ˌshüt 

: a rapid change in electrical potential and reversal of polarity that occurs during an action potential when a cell or tissue is stimulated