Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to overset someone's plans

to overset someone's plans

7.7
To ruin someone's plans by making them fail or change suddenly
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : trastocar
  • The rain completely overset our plans for a picnic in the park.

Examples

  • The storm overset their plans for the picnic.

  • She worried that the new policy might overset his plans for expansion.

  • His last-minute decision to resign overset their plans for the event.

  • Don't overset her plans for the party!

  • The sudden construction work overset their plans for a quiet weekend getaway.

  • His unexpected promotion overset her plans to relocate for a new job.

  • The flight delay overset their plans to arrive in time for the ceremony.

Synonyms

to disrupt
vsto overset someone's plans
269 4.4

To interrupt normal activity and cause disorder

creates failure or unexpected change rather than only temporary disorder
to derail
vsto overset someone's plans
64 4.6

Make a plan or project fail

causes failure or unexpected change rather than complete collapse
to throw off
vsto overset someone's plans
31 4.8

To make someone's plans or schedule not work as expected

causes failure or unexpected change rather than just confusion
to throw a wrench in
vsto overset someone's plans
  • US
2 8.0

Cause a problem that stops a plan or activity

leads to failure or unexpected change rather than only a problem
to derail a plan
vsto overset someone's plans
1 5.2

Cause a plan to fail or stop moving forward

tends to cause failure or unexpected change rather than only interruption
to throw a monkey wrench into the works
vsto overset someone's plans
  • Informal
1 8.6

Cause problems on purpose that stop a plan or process from working smoothly

may cause failure or unexpected change without deliberate intent
to put a spanner in
vsto overset someone's plans
  • UK
8.6

To cause a plan to fail or have big problems

causes failure or unexpected change rather than mere complications
to obstruct someone's plans
vsto overset someone's plans
5.6

To stop someone on purpose from doing what they planned

causes failure or unexpected change rather than deliberate prevention

Antonyms

to support
∞ 1.0

Give help to a person or idea

to facilitate
  • Formal
187 4.9

To make a task or process easier and help it happen

How Disrupted

to sabotage
164 7.1
to overset someone's plans
7.7
to interrupt
909 2.5
to delay
562 1.4

Surface Forms

overset someone's plans infinitive
oversetting someone's plans present participle
oversets someone's plans third person singular
overset someone's plans past
overset someone's plans past participle

Morphology

overset + someone's + plan

The verb 'overset' literally means to knock or tip something over, so when combined with 'someone's plans' the image of overturning transfers to disrupting or derailing those plans. This is a figurative/metaphorical extension that a learner can plausibly infer from the constituents but still requires an extra inferential step, so it is not fully transparent.

Etymology

Overset someone's plans comes from the image of overset meaning to turn something over, like knocking a table so papers or plans scatter. That's why it now means 'to disturb or ruin someone's plans'.