as in overtook
to go or grow faster than (something)
Population growth has continued to outpace job growth for the last several decades. The demand for the product has outpaced the company's ability to produce it.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of outpaced
In early voting, Democrats outpaced Republicans by over 30,000 ballots in Tarrant County.
—
Rachel Royster
updated March 3, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2026
Campaign finance reports show Shea outpaced her opponents in both spending and cash on hand.
—Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026
Projected demand from data centers has outpaced energy supply, wreaking havoc on power markets and raising customers’ bills in turn.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 1 Mar. 2026
Demand quickly outpaced supply, with tens of thousands of households installing solar systems to escape an unreliable grid.
—Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 28 Feb. 2026
Tried-and-true Beats New In both 2024 and 2025, buzz surrounding longtime hero products far outpaced that of new launches.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 27 Feb. 2026
Those sparked an 11-0 Denver run to close the quarter, during which Boston missed two layups and was outpaced in transition.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
In early 2024, the e-commerce company axed about 1,000 jobs, or about 9% of its workforce, saying labor costs had outpaced growth.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2026
Although this sounds like a good idea, the availability of screening has outpaced its clinical relevance.
—Jordan D. Metzl, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
Rachel Royster
updated March 3, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2026
Campaign finance reports show Shea outpaced her opponents in both spending and cash on hand.
—Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026
Projected demand from data centers has outpaced energy supply, wreaking havoc on power markets and raising customers’ bills in turn.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 1 Mar. 2026
Demand quickly outpaced supply, with tens of thousands of households installing solar systems to escape an unreliable grid.
—Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 28 Feb. 2026
Tried-and-true Beats New In both 2024 and 2025, buzz surrounding longtime hero products far outpaced that of new launches.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 27 Feb. 2026
Those sparked an 11-0 Denver run to close the quarter, during which Boston missed two layups and was outpaced in transition.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
In early 2024, the e-commerce company axed about 1,000 jobs, or about 9% of its workforce, saying labor costs had outpaced growth.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2026
Although this sounds like a good idea, the availability of screening has outpaced its clinical relevance.
—Jordan D. Metzl, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outpaced
Verb
-
Apple overtook Samsung as the world's top smartphone seller in 2024, ending its roughly 12-year run atop the market.—
MacKenzie Sigalos,
CNBC,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Steph Curry's family film GOAT overtook Wuthering Heights at the weekend's domestic box office.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But its momentum has slowed over the past decade, exacerbated by stringent pandemic controls, while regional rival India has surpassed it as the fastest-growing major economy.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
-
In February, the company’s exports surpassed its domestic sales for the first time, according to CNBC’s calculations.—
Matthew Chin,Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kaitlyn Thurman had 3 hits, including a home run, scored 3 runs and drove in 6 runs for West.—
NWA Democrat-Gazette,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Stacey Wondra told the detectives that after placing Michael in the duffel bag, the group drove him to a house in Kuna and put him in a spare room, the affidavit said.—
Alex Brizee
March 3,
Idaho Statesman,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outpaced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outpaced. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
