oversight
noun
over·sight
ˈō-vər-ˌsīt 
1
a
: watchful and responsible care
… you to whom oversight of the University is entrusted …—
N. M. Pusey
N. M. Pusey
b
: regulatory supervision
congressional oversight
The new manager was given oversight of the project.
2
: an inadvertent omission or error
… whether by oversight or intention …—George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard ShawThe error was a simple oversight.
Examples of oversight in a Sentence
The fact that you didn't get an invitation is surely just an oversight.
The error was a simple oversight.
The new manager was given oversight of the project.
Recent Examples on the Web
The analysis also cites Meta findings that only a tiny fraction of young Instagram users were enrolled in its parental oversight tool as of March 2025, although the company touts it as central to its safety push.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Congress has for too long neglected its duty to provide oversight of the president, our Joe Gerth explains in his latest column.
—Ray Padilla, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Feb. 2026
The Daily News reached out to the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, and Amy Sebring, who has direct oversight of the monument as the superintendent of park service sites in Manhattan, for comment.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 17 Feb. 2026
Critics have long warned that weak oversight, inflated claims and poor benefit-sharing have eroded trust in offset programs.
—ABC News, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for oversight
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Congress has for too long neglected its duty to provide oversight of the president, our Joe Gerth explains in his latest column.
—Ray Padilla, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Feb. 2026
The Daily News reached out to the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, and Amy Sebring, who has direct oversight of the monument as the superintendent of park service sites in Manhattan, for comment.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 17 Feb. 2026
Critics have long warned that weak oversight, inflated claims and poor benefit-sharing have eroded trust in offset programs.
—ABC News, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for oversight
Cite this Entry
“Oversight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oversight. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
oversight
noun
over·sight
-ˌsīt
1
: the act or duty of overseeing : supervision
have the oversight of a job
2
: an error or a leaving something out through carelessness or haste
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
