overthrow

Verb (1)

overthrow (third-person singular simple present overthrows, present participle overthrowing, simple past overthrew, past participle overthrown)

1. (transitive) To 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.
   • 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]...

   Synonyms:

   overturn, oust, subvert

2. (archaic, transitive) To 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
   • 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....

Noun (1)

UK/ˈəʊvəθɹəʊ/US/ˈoʊvɚˌθɹoʊ/

overthrow (countable and uncountable, plural overthrows)

1. A removal, especially of a ruler or government, by force or threat of force; usurpation.
   • 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...
   • 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
2. (archaic, rare) An act of throwing something to the ground; an overturning.

Verb (2)

overthrow (third-person singular simple present overthrows, present participle overthrowing, simple past overthrew, past participle overthrown)

1. (intransitive, transitive) To throw (something) so that it goes too far.
   • He overthrew first base, for an error.
   • 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

Noun (2)

UK/ˈəʊvəθɹəʊ/US/ˈoʊvɚˌθɹoʊ/

overthrow (plural overthrows)

1. A throw that goes too far.
   • [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
   1. A run scored by the batting side when a fielder throws the ball back to the infield, whence it continues to the opposite outfield.