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

But over time, they themselves have been overtaken by misconduct, cronyism, and excess, especially after the leading proxy advisory firms continually traded hands between a rotating cast of conflicted foreign buyers and private equity firms. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2025

Sports assets have also overtaken traditional trophy assets like art and cars, with 34% of principals investing in teams and arenas, compared with 23% for art and 10% for cars, the bank said. —Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 14 Nov. 2025

Gulf-China trade hit record levels in 2024, overtaking flows between the region and the West for the first time as oil-rich Middle East nations build deeper ties to one of the largest customers for their oil and gas. —Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 14 Nov. 2025

But then he was overtaken by the voice. —William Earl, Variety, 14 Nov. 2025

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