overthrow
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To remove a leader or government from power by force.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ohverthrohSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈoʊvɚθɹoʊ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To bring about the downfall of (a government, etc.), especially by force; to usurp.
Cause the downfall of; of rulers
transitiveintransitive
To throw (something) so that it goes too far.
noun
A removal, especially of a ruler or government, by force or threat of force; usurpation.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To bring about the downfall of (a government, etc.), especially by force; to usurp.
Used this way, overthrow is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in government or politics contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Government/politics
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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Related Words
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.