oversight

noun

over·​sight ˈō-vər-ˌsīt 

1

a

: watchful and responsible care

you to whom oversight of the University is entrusted

—N. M. Pusey

b

: regulatory supervision

congressional oversight

The new manager was given oversight of the project.

2

: an inadvertent omission or error

whether by oversight or intention

—G. B. Shaw

The error was a simple oversight.

Synonyms

• administration
• care
• charge
• conduct
• control
• direction
• governance
• government
• guidance
• handling
• intendance
• management
• operation
• presidency
• regulation
• running
• stewardship
• superintendence
• superintendency
• supervision

Examples of oversight in a Sentence

The fact that you didn't get an invitation is surely just an oversight.

The error was a simple oversight.

The new manager was given oversight of the project.

Recent Examples on the Web

However, low-cost outsourcing often leads to subpar performance, creating a need for constant oversight and potential damage control. —Pankaj Vasani, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024

As the federal government withdrew, Southern states rewrote their constitutions to include mechanisms for state oversight of local government functions like appointing officials to school boards and county boards of elections. —Domingo Morel / Made By History, TIME, 25 Oct. 2024

In March 2023, a new agent assigned to the case noticed the oversight, and Johnson was indicted and arrested again in Bryan, Texas. —Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024

Should she be elected, Harris may choose to continue her efforts to shape responsible norms of behavior in space and organize oversight over the space industry. —Thomas G. Roberts, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

oversight

noun

over·​sight -ˌsīt 

1

: the act or duty of overseeing : supervision

have the oversight of a job

2

: an error or a leaving something out through carelessness or haste