# overstand

> English word · Verb

## Definitions
1. To stand or insist too much or too long; overstay.
2. To stand too strictly on the demands or conditions of.
3. To sail to the mark at a wider angle than is the normal upwind angle, to go beyond the layline
4. To be neglected and left uncut for too long.

## Etymology
From Middle English overstonden, from Old English oferstandan (“to stand over”), equivalent to over- + stand. Cognate with Dutch overstaan (“to stand over”), German überstehen (“to stand through, survive”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/overstand