overstep the mark
overstep the mark verb: to behave in an unacceptable or morally reprehensible way.
Verb
overstep the mark (third-person singular simple present oversteps the mark, present participle overstepping the mark, simple past and past participle overstepped the mark)
- To behave in an unacceptable or morally reprehensible way.
- "If Russia mobilises, it is for defence. No nation in the world would dream of attacking Germany, nor has Germany the slightest intention of imperilling her coming supremacy amongst the nations by such crude methods as military enterprise. Servia must be punished, naturally, but to that, in...1920, Edward Phillips Oppenheim, The Great Impersonation, Chapter 25
- Synonyms:
- go too far, cross the line
Synonyms of overstep the mark
Forms of overstep the mark
| third-person singular present | oversteps the mark |
|---|---|
| present participle | overstepping the mark |
| past participle | overstepped the mark |
| past | overstepped the mark |
| alternative form | overstep the line |
Questions about overstep the mark
- What does overstep the mark mean?
- Overstep the mark means to behave in an unacceptable or morally reprehensible way.
- What part of speech is overstep the mark?
- Overstep the mark is a verb.
- What is the past tense of overstep the mark?
- The past tense of overstep the mark is overstepped the mark.
Words near overstep the mark in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: overstep the mark (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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