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

Alphabet, too, was left for dead by the Street on fears that management wasn't executing and the company's AI strategy wasn't panning out to the point the were being overtaken by others. —Zev Fima, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2026

One night earlier, Durant scored 27 points in the Houston Rockets’ 123-122 victory over the Miami Heat to overtake Jordan for fifth place on the NBA’s all-time leading scorer list. —Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026

While Connor McDavid has continued to deliver, his NHL scoring lead was overtaken by Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov in a head-to-head meeting on Saturday in which Kucherov poured in four points. —Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 2026

Was Perugino, the master overtaken by his pupil, similarly tempted to smash something? —Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 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