overshoot
Americanverb (used with object)
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to shoot or go over, beyond, or above; miss.
The missile overshot its target.
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to pass or go by or beyond (a point, limit, etc.).
to overshoot a stop sign.
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to shoot or pour down over.
turbulent water overshooting the top of the dam.
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to overreach (oneself or itself); go further than is intended or proper; go too far.
It looked as though his self-confidence had overshot itself.
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(of an aircraft or pilot) to fly too far along (a landing strip) in attempting to land.
verb (used without object)
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to fly or go beyond.
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to shoot over or above a mark.
noun
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a shooting beyond a specified point or target.
two overshoots in the missile test series.
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the amount of excessive distance in a trajectory or route.
a two-mile overshoot on the artillery range.
verb
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to shoot or go beyond (a mark or target)
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to cause (an aircraft) to fly or taxi too far along (a runway) during landing or taking off, or (of an aircraft) to fly or taxi too far along a runway
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(tr) to pass swiftly over or down over, as water over a wheel
noun
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an act or instance of overshooting
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the extent of such overshooting
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a momentary excessive response of an electrical or mechanical system
Etymology
Origin of overshoot
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English oversheten, overshoten; over- + shoot 1 ( def. )
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.
“To leave such an overshoot entirely unaddressed could pose a communication risk: the public may find it difficult to understand a reaction function that does not react,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
While overshoot -- temperature trajectories that go beyond 1.5C before coming back down -- is not a new concept in science, many leading climate figures have been uneasy talking about it.
From Barron's • Nov. 6, 2025
The overshoot has raised expectations that treasury chief Rachel Reeves will announce new measures to contain borrowing when she presents her budget to parliament on Nov. 26.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025
Global action must include accelerating emissions reductions and scaling up carbon removal to minimise temperature overshoot.
From Science Daily • Oct. 13, 2025
Someone is there with a kidney dish, but I overshoot and hear liquid splash across the floor, splattering against the wall.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
