Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A superior; ruler; governor; lord.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun rare A superior.
  • noun A ruler; master.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From over +‎ -ling on analogy with underling, or as a revived or dialectal term from Middle English overling ("a superior"), equivalent to over +‎ -ling.

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Examples

  • You see, they still were underlings, but put together they made one big overling.

    From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor Jerry Della Femina 2010

  • You see, they still were underlings, but put together they made one big overling.

    From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor Jerry Della Femina 2010

  • You see, they still were underlings, but put together they made one big overling.

    From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor Jerry Della Femina 2010

  • You see, they still were underlings, but put together they made one big overling.

    From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor Jerry Della Femina 2010

  • You always need secrets to barter with, the more important the secrets the safer you are, because you never know when you or an underling or overling will make the mistake that leaves you as naked and as helpless as a spiked butterfly.

    Noble House Clavell, James 1981

  • You always need secrets to barter with, the more important the secrets the safer you are, because you never know when you or an underling or overling will make the mistake that leaves you as naked and as helpless as a spiked butterfly.

    Noble House Clavell, James 1981

  • 3. While there is a limited class of overlings in the military who will tell you explicitly what they want, and commit the same to writing when there are hazards in the execution, your typical overling expects underlings to be able to read between the lines.

    Awwwwwwkward. CC 2009

  • If the overling has a piece of paper that says something exists, the underling is not going to identify himself as unreliable by disclosing he can’t find it.

    Awwwwwwkward. CC 2009

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