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

Holdovers in Uni markets include UK and Ireland with $2M and a $9M running cume, surpassing lifetimes of Hereditary and Speak No Evil, and having previously overtaken The Black Phone and The Substance. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 31 May 2026

The painstaking work of clearing depots has ground to a halt, overtaken by a more volatile reality. —Euan Ward, New Yorker, 29 May 2026

This milestone overtakes rival OpenAI’s valuation. —Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 29 May 2026

Topline Anthropic secured a $900 billion valuation Thursday following a Series H fundraise of $65 billion, overtaking OpenAI as the world’s most valuable artificial intelligence startup. —Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 28 May 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