as in to catch
to move fast enough to get even with
she had to hurry to overtake her friends, who had forgotten their umbrellas the thunderstorm overtook them suddenly
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Recent Examples of overtake
If your social feeds have been overtaken by a seven-foot-tall orange furry creature with unhinged googly eyes chasing terrified hockey fans down a hallway, congratulations — you’ve been introduced to playoff Gritty.
—
Ryan Brennan
april 23, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
Ask Not is a heartrending collective portrait of three generations of women born into or married into the Kennedy family and the tragic fates that often overtook them.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2026
This reflects an industry-wide trend, as SUV sales have overtaken sedans by a wide margin.
—Robert Ferris, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
Although some sod was recently laid, the rest of the park is so neglected that weeds are already overtaking it.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overtake
Ryan Brennan
april 23, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
Ask Not is a heartrending collective portrait of three generations of women born into or married into the Kennedy family and the tragic fates that often overtook them.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2026
This reflects an industry-wide trend, as SUV sales have overtaken sedans by a wide margin.
—Robert Ferris, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
Although some sod was recently laid, the rest of the park is so neglected that weeds are already overtaking it.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overtake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtake
Verb
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Overall, about half of children with the disease are infected during birth, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia said, while others caught it from family members.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
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In 2023, the NCAA put in guidelines that punish athletes caught gambling on their own school, or other sports at their school, with a permanent loss of eligibility.—
Trey Wallace OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Packers are chasing a fourth straight playoff berth after going 9-8-1 and losing 31-27 to the Chicago Bears in the NFC wild-card playoff round last season.—
Steve Megargee,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
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Joseph Wright chased that question in the set of paintings that the National Gallery is currently exhibiting.—
Julian Bell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Total profits for smelting & pressing of non-ferrous metals across the country more than doubled to reach 142 billion yuan ($21 billion) in the first quarter, according to National Bureau of Statistics data released on Monday.—
Bloomberg,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
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Consider the other teams that, like the Mets, have high expectations and have swiftly reached a crossroads.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overtake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtake. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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