overcorrected; overcorrecting

intransitive verb

: to make too much of a correction : to adjust too much in attempting to offset an error, miscalculation, or problem
If the soup tastes bland, don't overcorrect by adding too much salt.
The driver of the Acura then overcorrected to the right, and as he came near the shoulder, his car was struck by a Toyota sport utility vehicle … The Houston Chronicle
Your first instinct will be to overcorrect every time your drone is headed somewhere you don't want it to go. Scott Gilbertson
overcorrection noun
plural overcorrections
Meant to hold 150 passengers, the Christina took on 250. Listing from the start, an overcorrection in steering capsized the boat. Russell Fielding et al.

Examples of overcorrect in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The temptation might be there to overcorrect from the isolation of the past year once things start opening up, but don’t give in. Goldie Chan, Forbes, 7 Apr. 2021 Still, experts like Professor Gostin at Georgetown University fear that in the absence of data, the world will overcorrect — only to find during the next pandemic that new restrictions have slowed access to medicine, delayed rescue workers and needlessly damaged fragile economies. David D. Kirkpatrick, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overcorrect was in 1827

Dictionary Entries Near overcorrect

Cite this Entry

“Overcorrect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overcorrect. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.

Medical Definition

overcorrect

transitive verb
: to apply a correction to in excess of that required (as for satisfactory performance)
specifically : to correct (a lens) beyond the point of achromatism or so that there is aberration of a kind opposite to that of the uncorrected lens
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