A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

overrun something • run over something
overrun something —
1
. (of troops) spread over and occupy a
territory: The British remained in control of Malaysia until
World War II, when Japan overran the country. 2. (of liquid)
flow over smth.: I was astounded at the damage that was
caused when a river overran its banks. 3. go beyond a fixed
limit: The amended motion led to a fairly heated debate which
overran the time originally allowed.
run over something —
1
. damage smth. with a vehicle: Misty’s
brother left her brand-new bike in the middle of the street,
and a car ran over it. 2. pass over smth.: There seemed to be
a single country road running in the middle of the field with
a black power line running over it. 3. briefly browse through
smth. written or printed: Running over the pages of a travel
magazine, I spotted a small and rather unimposing photo-
graph.
oversee something • see over something
oversee something —officially supervise smth.: He was like a
single-minded big brother overseeing every act and thought
of the people.
see over something —visit and examine a house or place: Are
you the young man who wants to see over the occupational
therapy department?
See also: look over something / watch over something.
overshoot the mark • overstep the mark
overshoot the mark —do smth. to a greater extent than is
necessary or desirable: Where have we overshot the mark when
it comes to technology, and where have we not yet begun to
realize its potential?
overstep the mark —behave in a way that is considered
morally or legally unacceptable: He appeared like a person
who has overstepped the mark, has wounded another’s feel-
ings, or alluded to some subject that were better left unmen-
tioned.