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

In more mature planetary nebulae — or even in preplanetary nebulae that are closer to the end of their preplanetary stage (with hotter stars powering them) — the ejection process has been muddied by a thousand years or more of earlier ejecta being overtaken by faster-moving, more recent ejecta. —Big Think, 11 Feb. 2026

Most of the respondents, who hail from 72 countries, said that, by 2036, the US would no longer be the world’s dominant power, as China will have overtaken it economically. —Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 10 Feb. 2026

Afterward, Agnes and I were felled by the kind of hunger that overtakes only those who have exerted themselves in cold weather. —Boris Fishman, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026

The American duo overtook the Estonian team with back-to-back steals, finishing the round-robin session with a score of 5-3. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 8 Feb. 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