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Definitions

overstep

[oh-ver-step] / ˌoʊ vərˈstɛp /
VERB
exceed
Synonyms


VERB
infringe
Synonyms
Antonyms
STRONGEST


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

But after decades of interacting with others, I trust my instincts not to overstep, to know when to stay in my own lane when the other lane doesn’t seem receptive.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 18, 2026

He was a boy who could sometimes be cheeky but "would never overstep boundaries".

From BBC Aug. 8, 2025

Our three-branch system of government relies on each branch serving as a check on the other branches' power, ensuring that they don't overstep their authority and boundaries.

From Salon Feb. 14, 2025

“The guidelines are just really a huge overstep I think in my opinion,” Bean told WXYZ-TV.

From Seattle Times Apr. 12, 2024

To do so would be to overstep the bounds, and to display a bourgeois lack of cool.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Society loses sight of human reality “when the economy turns against the person or science oversteps the limits of its competence,” he writes.

From The Wall Street Journal May 28, 2026

Hikari channels that quality to good use in “Rental Family” but never oversteps.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 21, 2025

In the annals of strategic oversteps in America’s post-9/11 forever war, our shoeless airport security lines will go down as a footnote.

From Slate Jul. 10, 2025

US District Judge Donald Molloy agreed with TikTok, saying that it "violates the Constitution in more ways than one" and "oversteps state power".

From BBC Nov. 30, 2023

“Someone tend the babe before he oversteps himself,” the noble said to the crowd.

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

In his lawsuit, Black said the committee overstepped its authority by asking Black about NDAs that weren’t related to Epstein.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 3, 2026

"The Court has concluded that the Board overstepped its statutory bounds by unilaterally renaming the Kennedy Center after President Trump," Judge Christopher Cooper ruled.

From Barron's May 29, 2026

Still, Hoppock said, CBP had overstepped in its aggressive handling of the matter, which he called “really something.”

From Salon May 14, 2026

Moggach added that Linden was now aware that his behaviour "simply was unacceptable and he overstepped certain boundaries."

From BBC May 6, 2026

Late in December, Seabiscuit overstepped in a workout and kicked himself in the left foreleg, dinging the suspensory ligament.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

The mission directors then sued Unilever for overstepping its rights.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 15, 2026

"No matter what your beliefs, you should be able to do your role as a councillor without abuse from the wider public and people should be able to debate without overstepping boundaries," Madgwich said.

From BBC May 15, 2026

I want to teach my young relative good money habits without overstepping the parents’ authority.

From MarketWatch Jan. 16, 2026

The company has ignored commission demands that it cease work and has filed suit against the commission, accusing it of overstepping its authority.

From Los Angeles Times May 20, 2025

Disease usually results from inconclusive negotiations for symbiosis, an overstepping of the line by one side or the other, a biologic misinterpretation of borders.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas




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