✅ Short Answer

Yes, the method can still be overridden even if you don’t add @Override — but you lose the compiler’s help in checking correctness.

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🔎 Explanation

What @Override Does

• @Override is a compile-time hint.
• It tells the compiler: “This method is supposed to override a method in a superclass.”
• If you make a mistake (like wrong method signature or typo), the compiler will fail with an error.

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What Happens Without @Override?

• The method still works normally (if you get the method signature correct).
• But if you accidentally:
  • Misspell the method name (e.g., tostring() instead of toString()), OR
  • Use wrong parameters (wrong types or count),
  • Java will not warn you — the compiler will just treat it as a new method (not an override).

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🔥 Example — With @Override

class Animal {
    void makeSound() {
        System.out.println("Animal sound");
    }
}

class Dog extends Animal {
    @Override
    void makeSound() {  // Compiler confirms: "Yes, this overrides correctly"
        System.out.println("Bark");
    }
}

⚠️ Example — Without @Override (Risky)

class Dog extends Animal {
    void makesound() {  // Typo: doesn't override anything
        System.out.println("Bark");
    }
}

✅ This compiles fine.
❌ But it’s wrong — this is a new method (not an override).
❌ If someone calls makeSound() on a Dog, this method will not be called.

📊 Summary

With @Override	Without @Override
Compiler checks override is correct	No check — typo or signature mismatch becomes a new method
Safer	Risk of silent bugs
Required?	❌ Not technically required
Recommended?	✅ Best practice

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📣 Pro Tip for Interviews

✅ Always say:

“The method still overrides the parent method if the signature matches exactly, but @Override makes the compiler help catch mistakes early.”

✅ Best Practice: Always use @Override when overriding a method.
This is one of the most common clean code practices — even in production code reviews.

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🎯 Final Rule

Overriding works without @Override — but you should always use @Override to avoid accidental bugs.