overtake

verb

over·​take ˌō-vər-ˈtāk How to pronounce overtake (audio)
overtook ˌō-vər-ˈtu̇k How to pronounce overtake (audio) ; overtaken ˌō-vər-ˈtā-kən How to pronounce overtake (audio) ; overtaking

transitive verb

1
a
: to catch up with
b
: to catch up with and pass by
2
: to come upon suddenly

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The number of Luckins overtook Starbucks in China in 2019, giving them the confidence to plot a US expansion. Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 30 June 2025 Saturday night’s 9-2 loss, which featured Carlos Mendoza’s first ejection as Mets manager and led to a players’ meeting, overtook the completely-unofficial-yet-nonetheless-dubious distinction. Will Sammon, New York Times, 29 June 2025 Developer tools like GitHub Copilot, launched with huge fanfare, were quickly overtaken by startups like Augment Code. Dror Berman, Fortune, 27 June 2025 Having some weeds in your food plots is actually a good thing (deer like dirty plots), but without treatment plots can be completely overtaken by weeds. Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for overtake

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from over entry 1 + taken to take

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of overtake was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Overtake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overtake. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

overtake

verb
over·​take ˌō-vər-ˈtāk How to pronounce overtake (audio)
overtook -ˈtu̇k How to pronounce overtake (audio) ; overtaken -ˈtā-kən How to pronounce overtake (audio) ; 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

More from Merriam-Webster on overtake

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!