What does overturned mean?
Overturned describes something that has been turned over, physically reversed, or formally invalidated. Its most literal use concerns an object or vehicle that has been tipped onto its side or upside down. It also has an important legal sense: an appellate court overturns a lower court's ruling when it finds a legal or procedural error. More broadly, the word can describe a government, institution, or plan that has been defeated, destabilized, or replaced. These meanings share an idea of reversal: what was upright becomes inverted, what was established becomes rejected, or what was accepted is declared invalid. The word appears in everyday reports of accidents, as well as in formal legal and political language, where it conveys an authoritative finality rather than a tentative disagreement.
To turn something over or upside down, or to reverse a decision formally.
"The appellate court overturned the lower court's ruling."
The legal sense is formal and commonly used in reports of court decisions.
Turned over or upside down; formally reversed or invalidated.
"The overturned vehicle blocked both lanes of the highway."
As an adjective, the word may describe the result of an accident or a legally reversed decision.
A vehicle can be overturned in a crash, while a court can overturn a ruling without anything being turned upside down.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does overturned come from?
Overturned was formed in Middle English from the prefix over- and the verb turn, using the sense of turning something over or reversing its position. Its legal use developed from the broader idea of overturning a decision or established order. The element turn is a Germanic root also preserved in words such as upturn and downturn, while the form overturn itself was subsequently inflected as overturns, overturning, and overturned.
Related word forms
How overturned is actually used
The term is neutral and formal when referring to a legal decision. In political contexts, it can imply the defeat or disruption of an established authority.
Easily confused with overturned
Overthrown usually describes a government, regime, or authority that has been forcibly defeated, whereas overturned often describes something physically turned over or a decision legally reversed.