oversight
🇺🇸 /ˈoʊvɜrˌsaɪt/
📖 Definitions
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noun
The act of supervising or overseeing something; the responsibility of watching over and directing the work or activities of others.; An unintentional failure to notice or do something; a mistake made through carelessness or inattention.; The act of looking over or surveying something from a higher position; a view from above.; The power or authority to supervise, review, or regulate the actions of an organization or individual.; A failure to include or account for something; an omission.; Watchful care or management; guardianship.
🔗 Details
Word forms
countable / uncountable
Plural: oversights
Collocations
under the oversight ofprovide oversightcongressional oversightregulatory oversightdue to an oversightan oversight on my part
Derivatives
overseeoverseer
Synonyms
errormistakeomissionblundersupervisionsurveillance
Antonyms
attentioncare
Commonly confused
oversee
EN: 'Oversee' is the verb meaning to supervise; 'oversight' is the noun form, which can mean either supervision or a failure to notice something.
oversite
EN: 'Oversite' is a common misspelling; the correct spelling is 'oversight' with a 'g'.
Spelling tips
EN: Note that 'oversight' has two nearly opposite meanings: a mistake/failure to notice (countable) and supervision/management (uncountable). Context determines which is intended.
💬 Examples
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Congress has oversight responsibility for the intelligence agencies.
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The error was due to an oversight on the part of the accounting department.
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From the hilltop, there was a fine oversight of the entire valley.
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The board of directors has oversight over all major financial decisions.
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The absence of a safety clause in the contract was a serious oversight.
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The children were placed under the oversight of their grandmother.