Irregular verbs  Regular verbs

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overshoot, overshoots, overshooting, overshot

Synonyms: exceed, surpass, miss, go beyond, overreach

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Antonyms: fall short, undershoot, underachieve, fail, miss the mark

The Verb Overshoot – Definition, Usage, and Clarification


The verb overshoot is an irregular verb meaning to go further than or beyond an intended target, limit, or destination. It implies a lack of precision or a miscalculation.


VERB FORMS


■ Base Form: overshoot
■ Past Simple: overshot
■ Past Participle: overshot
■ Present Participle/Gerund: overshooting


USAGE AND CONTEXT


'Oshoot' is used in both literal, physical contexts and figurative, conceptual ones.


1. Physical Targets and Destinations
This refers to physically going past a mark.


■ Travel: 'The pilot overshot the runway and had to circle around for another landing attempt.'
■ Marksmanship: 'He misjudged the wind and his arrow overshot the target completely.'
■ Driving: 'I wasn't paying attention and overshot my exit on the highway.'


2. Figurative Limits and Goals
This applies to abstract concepts like budgets, goals, and expectations.


■ Finance: 'The marketing department overshot its quarterly budget.'
■ Ecology: 'The species' population overshot the carrying capacity of the island, leading to a collapse.'


ℹ IMPORTANT: NOUN FORM AND OPPOSITE


■ Noun Form: 'An overshoot' refers to the instance or amount of exceeding a target. Example: 'The landing resulted in a slight overshoot of the designated stopping point.'


■ The Opposite - Undershoot: This verb means the opposite: to stop short of or fail to reach a target. Example: 'It's better to undershoot your sales projections and be pleasantly surprised than to overshoot and fail.'