overtake

verb

over·​take ˌō-vər-ˈtāk 

overtook ˌō-vər-ˈtu̇k  ; overtaken ˌō-vər-ˈtā-kən  ; overtaking

transitive verb

1

a

: to catch up with

b

: to catch up with and pass by

2

: to come upon suddenly

Synonyms of overtake

• catch
• chase
• reach

Examples of overtake in a Sentence

She overtook the other runners and went on to win the race.

The sign says “No Overtaking.”

Seasickness can overtake passengers when the ship encounters a storm.

Recent Examples on the Web

What is often maligned as one of the worst tracks for racing due to the lack of overtaking opportunities will now have an extra race, surely opening the door for even more criticism. — Luke Smith, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Also highlighted on the chart are instances when the 13-week moving average in green overtook the 26-week moving average in blue. — Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026

Dependency has overtaken intrusion as the most common route to an outage. — Maman Ibrahim, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026

That uncanny feeling of wandering through left-behind cities has made for its own niche tourist appeal, and natural elements that overtake these towns in the absence of human residents add another layer of intrigue. — Charlotte Collins, Architectural Digest, 15 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from over entry 1 + taken to take

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for overtake

• rattlesnake
• shiitake
• undertake
• wapentake
• ache
• ake
• bake
• brake
• break
• cake
• craik
• crake

Kids Definition

overtake

verb

over·​take ˌō-vər-ˈtāk 

overtook -ˈtu̇k  ; overtaken -ˈtā-kən  ; overtaking

1

a

: to catch up with

b

: to catch up with and pass by

2

: to come upon suddenly

a blizzard overtook the hunting party