oversight
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a mistake made because you forgot something or did not notice it.
n.an unintentional failure to notice or do something. Countable or uncountable depending on whether it refers to a specific instance or a general state.
Simple“Leaving your name off the list was a simple oversight, and we will fix it now.”
In context“The failure to include the safety clause in the final contract was a major oversight that led to months of legal disputes.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
n.the job of watching a process or organization to make sure it works correctly.
n.the state or act of supervising or managing a process, organization, or project. Often used in political or corporate contexts.
Simple“The committee provides oversight to ensure the money is spent honestly.”
In context“Effective regulatory oversight is essential to prevent the kind of systemic risks that led to the previous financial crisis.”
Antonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
v.to watch over and manage a job or a group of people.
v.to supervise or manage. This usage is less common than the standard verb 'oversee'.
Simple“He was hired to oversight the new construction project in the city centre.”
In context“The department was established specifically to oversight the implementation of the new environmental protocols across all regional branches.”
UsageTransitive verb taking a direct object.
- 04 C1 Advanced
v.to hide or limit how many people can see a post on the internet.
v.to suppress or minimize the visibility of digital content, often through algorithmic means.
Simple“The user complained that the platform was trying to oversight his political posts.”
In context“Content creators often worry that certain keywords will cause the algorithm to oversight their videos, reducing their reach significantly.”
“US firm tightens oversight of automatic licence-plate readers after reports of misuse by police officers.”
“Some believe the sheer volume of tasks that will be handled by these tools will mean human oversight might not be enough to contain the problem of models going rogue .”
From over- + sight. Verb sense 2 is a semantic loan from German Aufsicht.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.