1
as in to defeat
to get the better of through cleverness
a real estate developer who is always trying to overreach his competitors, fair means or foul
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to exceed
to go beyond the limit of
the mountain climbers overreached their abilities and paid for it dearly
Synonyms & Similar 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 overreach
Commentators quickly pointed out that Anthropic itself has faced high‑profile accusations of overreaching in its own data collection practices beyond the copyright case from authors, such as a separate case over scraping Reddit content.
—
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Jennifer Poe, a mother of an athlete on the team, said multiple coaches have been pressured to leave the program due to overreach, stating that coaches should be allowed to pick their own staff.
—Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 21 Feb. 2026
The president’s overreaching mass deportation policy will continue.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Democrats and liberals strongly believe Trump has overreached yet again — albeit not in quite such egregious terms — by inveighing against Bad Bunny.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overreach
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Jennifer Poe, a mother of an athlete on the team, said multiple coaches have been pressured to leave the program due to overreach, stating that coaches should be allowed to pick their own staff.
—Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 21 Feb. 2026
The president’s overreaching mass deportation policy will continue.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Democrats and liberals strongly believe Trump has overreached yet again — albeit not in quite such egregious terms — by inveighing against Bad Bunny.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overreach
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreach
Verb
-
Argyle defeated Abilene Wylie 2-0 on Friday.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
-
And the Marlins would defeat one of the worst teams in the history of baseball, the Colorado Rockies, 2-1.—
Greg Cote
Updated March 27,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
By Tuesday and Wednesday, highs could be near or possibly exceed 80 degrees away from the coastline.—
Matthew Villafane,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Indeed, one of the most important complementary factors is nutrition because, if daily calorie intake consistently exceeds what the body burns, weight loss will be difficult − even with regular exercise.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Both problems also thwarted Artemis I, whose capsule returned with excessive heat shield damage.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Its volatility already thwarted launch attempts in February.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Later that day, the spacecraft will reach a distance of some 248,650 miles from Earth — the exact number is not yet known — equaling and then surpassing a record set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970.—
William Harwood,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Swooping around the moon's far side, the astronauts aboard Orion are expected to travel farther from Earth than any humans ever have – surpassing the record of 248,655 miles set in 1970 during the infamous Apollo 13 mission.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The specifications on the Neo can be deceiving.—
Dwight Silverman,
Houston Chronicle,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Klipsch Austin Portable Bluetooth Speaker Deal Don't be deceived by the small Klipsch Austin portable speaker.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Bane overcame a slow start by making six of his first seven attempts at the free-throw line to reach 10 points after two quarters.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The Leafs overcame a 3-1 deficit with three goals in the third period, including Rielly's snap shot from the high slot that beat Anaheim goalie Ville Husso stick-side to give Toronto a 4-3 lead with three minutes left in regulation.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
These officers can outrun you, outmaneuver you through dense downtown traffic and scout out any funny business in large crowds.—
Caroline Silva,
AJC.com,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary, was labeled as a terrorist and this freedom fighter who’s characterized as this elusive fighter, this person that could outmaneuver American forces.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Predicting mosquito behavior is a first step toward outsmarting them.—
David Hu,
The Conversation,
18 Mar. 2026
-
He gets outsmarted by Forst and trapped in a symbiotic relationship where has to work for the world’s worst man to see his discovery come to fruition.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overreach.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreach. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
