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
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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
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Recent Examples of overreach
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
Rozier's lawyers have asked for the charges against him to be thrown out, arguing that the government overreached by turning a private dispute over bettors' use of nonpublic information into a federal case.
—CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overreach
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
Rozier's lawyers have asked for the charges against him to be thrown out, arguing that the government overreached by turning a private dispute over bettors' use of nonpublic information into a federal case.
—CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overreach
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreach
Verb
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Luka Doncic scored 44 points despite not playing the fourth quarter, and the Lakers defeated the struggling Indiana Pacers 128-117 on Friday night with LeBron James and Deandre Ayton out because of injury.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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Birdville defeated Heritage 77-71 in the state semifinals last season before falling in the state title game to Beaumont West Brook in overtime.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For example, in some parts of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, the difference exceeds 3 feet.—
Marcos Magaña,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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Indiana could see data centers exceed 20% of the state’s electricity usage, a new report from the Electric Power Research Institute found.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For the past six years, attempts by Chinese companies to invest in India had been thwarted by a web of security clearances from India's foreign and home ministries.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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There are other ballot measure proposals aimed at thwarting the billionaires tax.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Forecasters are expecting 95-degree heat in Pasadena, San Gabriel and Burbank, surpassing single-day temperature records of 92, 93 and 93 degrees, respectively, set in 2007.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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DeRozan went 17 of 22 from the field and 5 of 5 at the free-throw line to surpass his previous season high of 37 points while passing Tim Duncan for 18th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Defamation, which refers to a false statement of fact that is reputationally damaging, and false light, which is a technically true statement but is presented in a highly deceiving fashion, are other possible legal actions.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
9 Mar. 2026
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Looks, too, can be deceiving for those not on the grounds.—
Douglas Robson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The president's endorsement didn't clear the GOP crowded field to replace Greene — some observers cast that as a sign of weakness — but Fuller easily overcame other Republican contenders.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
11 Mar. 2026
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Next, despite a close first half, Kansas State couldn’t overcome BYU and star freshman AJ Dybansta, falling to the Cougars 105-91 to finish off a disappointing season.—
Emily Curiel,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As their bold production takes shape, a rival white theatre mounts its own Richard III just blocks away, threatening to undermine, overshadow, and outmaneuver them.—
Cincinnati Enquirer,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Mar. 2026
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Throughout the novels, characters tell stories to persuade, intimidate, and outmaneuver each other.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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TikToks promising secret loopholes, Reddit threads dissecting deductions and content creators insisting ways to outsmart the IRS.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
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Furthermore, Microsoft executives threw in their lot with the mercurial Altman, who doesn’t care at all about them and seems to outsmart them at every turn.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overreach.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreach. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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