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Definition of "overthrow" []

  • To throw over; overturn. (verb-transitive)
  • To bring about the downfall or destruction of, especially by force or concerted action: a plot to overthrow the government. (verb-transitive)
  • Sports To throw an object over and beyond (an intended mark): The infielder overthrew first base. (verb-transitive)
  • An instance of overthrowing, especially one that results in downfall or destruction. (noun)
  • Sports The throwing of a ball over and beyond a target, especially in baseball. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "overthrow" in a sentence
  • "As Galula explained, one of the main advantages that insurgents have over the governments they seek to overthrow is their lack of responsibility for governance."
  • "I was just trying to overthrow from the beginning, just trying to do stuff that is not myself."
  • "I have no doubt that if Pinochet's government could not be defeated by weapons, because no one could carry out a short-term overthrow, the correct thing to do was to exploit all other possible means to change the situation in the country, even though it would not imply Pinochet's overthrow, but a lengthy and complex process, as is the process in Chile today."