What does overshot mean?
Overshot is the past tense and past participle of overshoot. It describes something that has gone beyond a target, boundary, budget, or expected stopping point. In aviation and driving, a vehicle that overshoots may pass the runway, intersection, or turning area; in finance and project management, an expense that overshoots exceeds the amount planned or approved. The word can also suggest that an outcome has become excessive or difficult to control. Because it is an inflected form rather than a separate base verb, it is normally used to complete a sentence about an event that has already occurred: the estimate overshot, the vehicle overshot, or the shipment overshot the warehouse’s capacity.
verbPast tense and past participle of overshoot, meaning to go beyond a target, limit, or expected stopping point.
- To go beyond a target, limit, or expected stopping point.
- To exceed a planned or permitted level, such as a budget or estimate.
"The driver overshot the turning lane and had to reverse."
"The aircraft overshot the runway during the emergency landing."
"The project overshot its budget by several thousand dollars."
When something overshoots, it goes past the point where it was supposed to stop—one small mistake can become much bigger than intended.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of overshot
The form comes from the verb overshoot, which combines the prefix over- with the older English word shoot. Overshoot developed in contexts involving going beyond a target or a stopping point. The word shares its root with forms such as shoot, shot, and shooter, while the prefix over- contributes the sense of excess or going too far.
Related word forms
How overshot is actually used
The form is formally a past-tense and past-participial verb form. It is especially common in technical, transport, financial, and project-management contexts. In standard prose, overshoot or exceeded is often preferred for general use.
Easily confused with overshot
Overshoot is the base form of the verb, while overshot is its past tense and past participle.