overthrow

present singular third person overthrows · participle present overthrowing · past overthrew · participle past overthrown

1. transitiveTo bring about the downfall of (a government, etc.), especially by force; to usurp.

   I hate the current government, but not enough to want to overthrow them.

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   Here's Gloſter, a Foe to Citizens, / One that ſtill motions Warre, and neuer Peace, / O're-charging your free Purſes with large Fines; / That ſeeks to ouerthrow Religion, / Becauſe he is Protector of the Realme; […]

   1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], page 99, column 2

   Wounded and overthrown, the Britons continued their resistance, clung round the legs of the Norman steeds, and cumbered their advance; while their brethren, thrusting with pikes, proved every joint and crevice of the plate and mail, or grappling with the men-at-arms, strove to pull them from their horses by main force, or beat them down with their bills and Welch hooks.

   1825 June 22, [Walter Scott], chapter IV, in Tales of the Crusaders. […], volume I (The Betrothed), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 71

   Wickedness often overthrows the health of the sinner. Go to the hospital, and see how many have ruined their health by their course of life. That drunkard. That glutton. That debauchee. Nine-tenths of the suffering from disease originates in the wickedness of the sinner.

   1856, Jabez Burns, “LXVIII. The Ruinous Effects of Sin.”, in Cyclopedia of Sermons: […], New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton and Company, […], →OCLC, page 104

   Violence directed specifically at the regime in power, such as coups d'etat also often fail to attain the threshold of civil wars. While such conflicts often involve the armed forces of the society, coups d'etat are more explicitly extralegal executive transfers aimed at overthrowing the sitting regime's leaders.

   1999, Errol A. Henderson, “Civil Wars”, in Lester Kurtz, editor, Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, & Conflict, volumes I (A–E), San Diego, Calif.: Academic Press, →ISBN, section I (Definition of Civil War), page 279, column 2

   “America voted for mass deportations,” White House adviser Stephen Miller posted Wednesday on X. He added that the demonstrators in Los Angeles are “trying to overthrow the results of the election.”

   2025 June 11, Aaron Blake, “Americans voted for deportations. They didn’t necessarily vote for this.”, in CNN

   Synonyms: overturn, oust, subvert

2. archaictransitiveTo throw down to the ground, to overturn.

   And he [Jesus] made a ſcourge off ſmale cordes / and drave thē all out off the temple / bothe ſhepe and oxen / ãd powred doune the changers money / and overthrue their tables.

   1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, The Gospell off S. Jhon ij:[15], folio cxxi, verso

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   Pittacus was a wiſe and valiant man, but his wife overthrew the Table when he had invited his friends: upon which the good man to excuſe her incivility and his own miſfortune, ſaid, That every man had one evil, and he was moſt happy that had but that alone; […]

   1650, Jer[emy] Taylor, “Of Christian Sobriety”, in The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living. […], London: Printed [by R. Norton] for Richard Royston […], →OCLC; The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living. […], 5th corrected edition, London: Printed for Richard Royston […], 1656, →OCLC, section VI (Of Contentedness in All Estates and Accidents), page 161

   I have no parents, friends, nor brothers left; / By ſtern Achilles all of life bereft. / Then when the walls of Thebes he overthrew, / His fatal hand my royal father ſlew; / He ſlew Aetion, but deſpoil'd him not; / Nor in his hate the funeral rites forgot; […]

   a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “The Last Parting of Hector and Andromache. From the Sixth Book of the Iliad.”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume IV, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, pages 451–452

   [W]hen they have found the Trees on which they [the elk] lean, they cut and ſaw them, ſo that when the Elk comes, he overthrows the Tree and falls with it; and being unable to riſe, is ſo taken alive.

   [1780?], Nicholas Coxe, “A Short Account of Some Particular Beasts that are Hunted in Foreign Countries”, in The Huntsman. […], London: Printed for J. Dixwell, […], →OCLC, page 118

plural overthrows

1. countableuncountableA removal, especially of a ruler or government, by force or threat of force; usurpation.

   What then must we do? Why, work night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the human race!

   1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC

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   Once more I come to know of thee King Harry, / If for thy Ranſome thou wilt now compound, / Before thy moſt aſſured Ouerthrow: […]

   1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], page 87, column 1

   But Judge Livingstone decided that no resistence to law, however extensive or violent, is treason if overthrow of the government is not its object.

   1891, Henry Boynton, “America”, in History of the Nineteenth Century in the United States and Europe, period I (During the Triumphs of Napoleon’s Empire), Augusta, Me.: Press Co., […], page 352

   [Edward B.] Marks believed that [Milton] Cohen had paid spies everywhere to keep him up-to-date about impending political overthrows in the countries where he needed to stop, as he always escaped fine and dandy from every revolution he had to face.

   2004, Carlos G. Groppa, “The Tango’s Influence on Other Popular Music”, in The Tango in the United States: A History, Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, →ISBN, pages 59–60

   [T]he narrator's football team has recently returned triumphant from Buenos Aires after winning the Copa Infantil Evita (Evita Youth Cup), part of the Juegos Evita (Evita Games) that were established in 1948 for children across Argentina, and which ran until the overthrow of Juan Perón in 1955

   2017, David Wood, “Argentina beyond El Proceso: Narratives of National Reconstruction”, in Football and Literature in South America (Routledge Research in Sports History), Abingdon, Oxon.; New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 147

2. archaiccountablerareuncountableAn act of throwing something to the ground; an overturning.

present singular third person overthrows · participle present overthrowing · past overthrew · participle past overthrown

1. intransitivetransitiveTo throw (something) so that it goes too far.

   He overthrew first base, for an error.

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   Unlike the gymnast landing on the firm floor and able to control his balance within fairly wide limits, the diver has little or no control of his position as he enters the water. If he overthrows on entry there is little he can do about it.

   1999, H. C. Dubey, “Rules and Regulations”, in Diving (DPH Sports Series), London: Discovery Publishing House, →ISBN, page 179

   To avoid [arm and shoulder injuries], strengthen muscles by throwing, increasing the repetitions and speed slowly; warm up slowly and thoroughly, stretching in advance; pursue weight training. Avoid overthrowing, especially early in the season.

   1999, Penny Hastings, “Softball”, in Sports for Her: A Reference Guide for Teenage Girls, Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, →ISBN, page 89

   On May 6, 1995, eight-year-old Johnny Lupoli was warming up before a baseball game in Wallingford, Connecticut (Sports Illustrated, 1996). Johnny, a pitcher for the Kovacs Insurance team in the Yalesville Little League overthrew his catcher during the pre-game session and hit a spectator. Carol LaRosa, the injured spectator, who's^([sic – meaning whose]) son was a teammate of Lupoli, sued the young pitcher for $15,000 in damages.

   2000, Thomas Appenzeller, Herb Appenzeller, “Injuries to Spectators”, in Youth Sport and the Law: A Guide to Legal Issues, Durham, N.C.: Carolina Academic Press, →ISBN, page 65

   One afternoon the local reverend and Curtis are tossing the football around at the park. When the reverend overthrows the ball, Curtis demands that Jasmine put down her book and throw the ball back. This is the moment where Curtis is handed a glimpse of her potential as a football player and begins his quest to inspire her to play.

   2015, Viridiana Lieberman, “M.V.P.: The Most Vulnerable Player in Children’s Sports Films”, in Sports Heroines on Film: A Critical Study of Cinematic Women Athletes, Coaches and Owners, Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 73

plural overthrows

1. hobbiesA throw that goes too far.

   He overthrew the ball and it went for four runs.

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   [A]n energy shift accompanies the onset of emotion. Failure to recognize this can lead to disruptions in performance. A quarterback who fails to acknowledge his excitement in a big game is prone to countless overthrows until the excitement has subsided.

   2002, International Journal of Sport Psychology: Official Journal of the International Society of Sports Psychology, volume 33, Rome: Pozzi, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 41

   The one-man lift is effective in creating enough of a contest in the air to disrupt the opposition or force an overthrow. The defender at the back of the lineout is perfectly positioned to catch an overthrow, and deter the attacking halfback from running around the back of the lineout.

   2013, Marcus Blackburn, “Lesson 5: Defend as a Team”, in Coaching Rugby Sevens, 2nd edition, London: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 92

   A late-scoring push forced overtime, but even in added time, the team was forced to go for a field goal on their initial drive after a pass rusher forced an overthrow from Purdy. This allowed Mahomes in and the emerging all-time great doesn’t often make mistakes.

   2024 February 12, Ben Morse and Steve Almasy, “Kansas City Chiefs defeat San Francisco 49ers in OT in Super Bowl LVIII, become first back-to-back NFL champions in 19 years”, in CNN.com

   Of all the cricket skills, good throwing is the one most readily appreciated by spectators, whether it be from the outfield or the infield. […] All throws must be "backed-up" by the nearest available fielder to prevent overthrows at both the bowler's and the wicket-keeper's ends. Nothing is more depressing than a fielding side giving away overthrows from bad throwing and backing-up.

   1999, Ashok Kumar, “Fielding”, in Cricket (DPH Sports Series), New Delhi: Discovery Publishing House, published 2006, →ISBN, page 49

   England required 15 from the last over of the regular match. Ben Stokes hit a six and benefited when a throw from the deep hit him and went for four overthrows.

   2019 July 14, Stephan Shemilt, “England win Cricket World Cup: Ben Stokes stars in dramatic finale against New Zealand”, in BBC Sport, London

   1. ball gamesA run scored by the batting side when a fielder throws the ball back to the infield, whence it continues to the opposite outfield.