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to overturn

to overturn

30 4.1
Make something flip so it is upside down or on its side
  • verb
  • /ˌoʊvərˈtɜrn/
translation icon : volcar
  • The strong winds caused the boat to overturn in the stormy sea.
  • overturn a car
  • overturn a boat

This was in front of the house now the crib overturned, splattered with blood, a child's toy still inside.

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Examples

  • If I'd let go of the overturned skiff, I'd have died myself.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • A carriage overturned.

  • We all moved into the lee of an overturned boat to escape the wind.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • There are two police vehicles that are overturned.

  • The boat was overturned and I was beneath it, but I managed to get clear.

    Academic text (2012)
  • The car overturned in a deep pond and immediately filled with water.

  • "Time for dessert," I say, and leap up from the table, overturning my chair.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Only five men made it back to the surface to cling to the overturned hull.

    Academic text (2013)
  • in other news, in Painted Hills today, an overturned vehicle was discovered by hikers passing by.

  • There's an overturned tractor-trailer causing a one-hour delay at the Lincoln Tunnel.

Synonyms

to tip
vsto overturn
148 1.8

To move something so it leans or falls to one side

is about turning over broadly, not only tilting until it falls
to knock over
vsto overturn
68 2.6

Make something fall by hitting or bumping it

can be done by many means, not only by forceful collision
to upset
vsto overturn
57 3.0

Make something fall over or move out of place

is specifically the physical act of turning something over
to flip over
vsto overturn
41 2.5

Turn something so the side that was up is now down

describes turning that can be quick or slow, not necessarily swift
to turn over
vsto overturn
31 2.6

Flip something so the other side faces up

focuses more on making an object upside down or lying on its side
to roll over
vsto overturn
30 1.4

To turn your body or an object so the other side faces up

covers turning by any movement, not only by rolling
to invert
vsto overturn
28 4.8

Turn something upside down, inside out, or change its usual order

turns objects fully or partly, making them upside down or on their side
to tip over
vsto overturn
27 3.0

Make something fall from a standing position

can mean simple turning as well as causing a fall from upright
to upend
vsto overturn
23 5.5

Turn something so one end points up

is broader and includes full sideways or upside down positions
to bowl over
vsto overturn
1 5.1

To knock something so it falls over

includes overturning by impact but also by gentle turning or tilt
to upturn
vsto overturn
1 4.5

To turn something so its bottom faces up

also covers turning to the side, not only making the bottom face up
to overtip
vsto overturn
5.8

To make something tilt so far that it falls over

includes turning in any way, not only extreme tilting until falling
to tump over
vsto overturn
  • UK
8.2

To make something that stands fall over

covers any turning over, not only a simple tipping action
to overset
vsto overturn
6.4

To make something fall over or turn upside down

is the direct physical act of turning something over specifically
to turn turtle
vsto overturn
8.4

To flip over so the bottom becomes the top, often about boats or cars

applies to turning over objects in general, not only vessels or vehicles

Antonyms

44 2.7

Standing straight up and not leaning

Placed so the top part faces up

How Turned

to overturn
30 4.1
flip
31 2.6
to tip over
27 3.0
to tilt
147 2.0

Surface Forms

overturn infinitive
overturned past
overturned past participle
overturning present participle
overturns third person singular

Morphology

overturn = turn (transparent) = over + turn

The physical sense is a direct composition of the productive prefix 'over-' and the verb 'turn' meaning to flip or rotate.

Etymology

Overturn comes from the parts over- (giving the sense 'over' or 'completely') and turn ('to move or flip'). So to overturn something in a physical way is literally to 'turn it over' so it becomes upside down.