overthrow
gb/ˈoʊvɚθɹoʊ/ us/ˈoʊvɚθɹoʊ/
B2
Anglais
~ 6800
Sens
0 sens
Verbe
C1
action
1
remove a ruler or system from power
to take power away from a government, leader, or system, often using force
Schéma d’usage :
to overthrow [a government/leader/system]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'overthrow' with 'take over'. 'Overthrow' means to remove someone or something from power, while 'take over' means to get control (for example, a company can take over another company). Another common mistake is using the wrong subject: say 'The rebels overthrew the government' (rebels = subject, government = object), not 'The government overthrew' when you mean it lost power; in that case, use 'The government was overthrown.'
Synonymes
topple (Often used in political contexts like 'topple a regime'; slightly less formal and can sound more sudden.)
|
depose (More formal; focuses on removing a person from an official position, not always violently.)
|
oust (Common in both political and business contexts; suggests forcing someone out of a position.)
Antonymes
uphold (Means to support and keep a system or law in place rather than remove it.)
|
maintain (Focuses on keeping a government or system in power instead of ending it.)
Collocations
overthrow a government
|overthrow a dictator
|attempt to overthrow
|plot to overthrow
|successfully overthrow
|overthrow the regime
Thèmes
politics
|society
|conflict
|law
Exemples
- The rebels planned to overthrow the military government within a year.
- Mass protests eventually helped overthrow the corrupt regime.
- They argued that violence was not the right way to overthrow an unjust system.
- The army refused to support the president, which made it easier to overthrow him.
- Several groups joined forces to overthrow the monarchy and establish a republic.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The people wanted to overthrow the dictator.
- The army tried to overthrow the government.
- They worked for many years to overthrow the old system.
- The leader was overthrown after a big protest.
- A small group planned to overthrow the king.
unknown
C1
event
2
removal of a ruler or system
the act of taking power away from a government, leader, or system, often using force
Schéma d’usage :
the overthrow of [a government/system/leader]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse the noun 'overthrow' with the verb. Use 'the overthrow of the government' (noun) but 'to overthrow the government' (verb). Also, do not say 'the overthrowing of the government' in formal writing; 'the overthrow of the government' is more natural.
Synonymes
toppling (Stresses the collapse or fall of a regime; often used metaphorically for systems and institutions.)
|
coup (Short for 'coup d'état'; usually a sudden, often military, illegal seizure of power rather than any kind of overthrow.)
Antonymes
preservation (Emphasizes keeping the existing government or system in place instead of removing it.)
|
continuation (Focuses on the ongoing rule of a government or system, the opposite of its removal.)
Collocations
the overthrow of the government
|violent overthrow
|military overthrow
|attempted overthrow
|bloodless overthrow
|overthrow of the regime
Thèmes
politics
|society
|conflict
|law
Exemples
- The sudden overthrow of the government shocked the international community.
- He was jailed for planning the violent overthrow of the state.
- The protesters called for the overthrow of the corrupt political system.
- Historians still debate what caused the swift overthrow of the monarchy.
- The failed overthrow led to a harsh crackdown on the opposition.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The overthrow of the king ended the war.
- Many people died during the overthrow of the government.
- They went to prison after the attempted overthrow of the president.
- The country changed after the overthrow of the old system.
- The army led the overthrow of the dictator.
Verbe
B2
action
3
throw a ball too far
in sports, to throw a ball too far, so the player who should catch it cannot reach it
Schéma d’usage :
to overthrow [a receiver/someone] (sports)
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may think 'overthrow' here means 'to beat' or 'to remove from power' because of the political sense. In sports, it only describes an inaccurate throw that goes too far. Also, it is not used for kicking; you would not say 'he overthrew the ball with his foot.'
Synonymes
misthrow (General term for a bad or inaccurate throw; not limited to throwing too far, and less common in everyday speech.)
|
overshoot (Means to go beyond a target; can be used for throws but is more general and less idiomatic in sports play-by-play.)
Antonymes
hit (In this context, to throw accurately so the ball reaches the intended player.)
|
connect (Sports slang; suggests a successful, accurate pass to the intended receiver.)
Collocations
overthrow the catcher
|overthrow the receiver
|badly overthrow
|slightly overthrow
|quarterback overthrew his target
|overthrow a pass
Thèmes
sports
|games
Exemples
- The quarterback overthrew his receiver on what should have been an easy touchdown.
- She overthrew the catcher, allowing the runner to advance to second base.
- Under pressure, he overthrew the pass and missed a clear scoring chance.
- The pitcher tried a quick pickoff move but overthrew first base.
- He consistently overthrew open receivers in the first half of the game.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The quarterback overthrew the ball to his friend.
- The player overthrew the catcher, and the ball went to the wall.
- He was nervous and overthrew his first pass.
- She overthrew her teammate and lost the point.
- The pitcher overthrew first base on the pickoff play.
Nom
C1
event
4
errant throw that goes too far
in sports, a bad throw that goes too far and lets the other team move or score
Schéma d’usage :
to score/advance on an overthrow
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may mix up the noun and verb: 'He scored on an overthrow' (noun) vs. 'He overthrew the catcher' (verb). Some also think 'overthrow' always involves politics; here it is only about sports and throwing a ball.
Synonymes
wild throw (Informal sports term; any very inaccurate throw, not necessarily only those that let runners advance.)
|
errant throw (More formal; any mistaken or inaccurate throw, not always specifically one that leads to extra bases or scoring.)
Antonymes
perfect throw (An accurate and well-timed throw that reaches the intended player and prevents extra movement.)
|
on-target throw (Emphasizes accuracy, the opposite of the misdirected or too-long throw described by 'overthrow'.)
Collocations
on an overthrow
|two-base overthrow
|costly overthrow
|throwing error on the overthrow
|score on an overthrow
|advance on an overthrow
Thèmes
sports
|games
Exemples
- The runner scored from first on an overthrow by the third baseman.
- Two errors and an overthrow in the ninth inning cost them the game.
- He took second base on an overthrow to first.
- The coach was furious after another costly overthrow in the final minutes.
- The team gave up three runs on a single overthrow.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The player scored on an overthrow.
- They lost the game because of an overthrow.
- He went to second base on an overthrow.
- The catcher made an overthrow, and the runner moved home.
- The overthrow was the big mistake of the match.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
overthrow
API
GB/ˈoʊvɚθɹoʊ/
US/ˈoʊvɚθɹoʊ/
Syllabes et accentuation
over - throw (2 syllabes)
Stress on 1st syllable (over)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: overthrow
- Plural: overthrow, overthrows
Verb
- Base: overthrow
- 3rd Person Singular: overthrows
- Present Participle: overthrowing
- Past: overthrew
- Past Participle: overthrown
Famille de mots
Forms
overthrows
noun
overthrowing
verb
overthrew
verb
overthrown
verb
Related words
throw
verb A1
Points clés
- Irregular past: overthrew Verb
- Irregular past participle: overthrown Verb
Expressions
Aucune expression n’est encore associée à cette entrée.