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 Boeing 737-800 plane landed without its front landing gear deployed, overshot the runway, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into a fireball. —Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 31 Dec. 2024

In 2010, 158 people died when an Air India Express aircraft overshot a runway in Mangalore, India, and plummeted into a gorge before erupting into flames, according to the safety foundation. —Hyung-Jin Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2024

Hill burned cornerback Benjamin St-Juste on one play but Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa overshot the pass. —Ben Standig, The Athletic, 15 Aug. 2024

Anyone who expected Brian Callahan to have the Titans in the playoffs in Year 1 probably overshot their expectations. —Nick Suss, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 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