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
However, Dombeck is cautious about overreaching on BTSP’s significance.
—
Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 24 Apr. 2026
The bill’s supporters frame it as a blow against overregulation, viewing it as a necessary bulwark against (supposedly) overreaching state animal welfare standards like Question 3.
—John Cleveland, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
That kind of progress comes from precision, not overreach.
—Mike Vietri, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2026
The defense argued that the encounters were consensual and that the government had overreached.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overreach
Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 24 Apr. 2026
The bill’s supporters frame it as a blow against overregulation, viewing it as a necessary bulwark against (supposedly) overreaching state animal welfare standards like Question 3.
—John Cleveland, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
That kind of progress comes from precision, not overreach.
—Mike Vietri, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2026
The defense argued that the encounters were consensual and that the government had overreached.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overreach
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreach
Verb
-
The left fielder had a big night against one of his former teams with a home run and four RBIs on Thursday as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Royals 6-2 in front of 14,913 at Rate Field.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
-
The missile will reportedly have a host of capabilities intended to defeat ballistic missile defenses, but Russia has not built a good track record with the vehicle.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Havana experienced a blackout that day that exceeded 20 hours, O Levy said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
16 May 2026
-
Given his experience across different racing disciplines, does anything exceed the Indy 500?—
Maury Brown,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
But the plan gets thwarted when said camboy is murdered in the process, setting Paula off into a spiral to uncover what happened and clear her name.—
Senior Television,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
-
The school has been thwarted, in part, by an overabundance of research laboratories across San Diego County.—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Centering on five boyhood friends reuniting after the death of their beloved basketball coach, director Dennis Dugan‘s film surpassed $270 million at the global box office.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
-
The national debt has surpassed the GDP, Social Security and Medicare face looming financial crises, inflation is rising, families are struggling — and yet Congress does nothing.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The complaint also claims that the image deceives customers into thinking Lipa has endorsed the product and dilutes her brand identity.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
-
Berger also warned against attempts by Israelis to deceive foreign agents, stressing that any contact is a serious offense.—
Amelie Botbol,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Detroit allowed Cleveland to sprint to a 22-0 run to start the second half that took the Cavaliers from a four-point halftime deficit to an 18-point lead the Pistons were never able to overcome.—
Darnell Mayberry,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
-
To overcome this, researchers at ETH Zurich used a subtler effect called the geometric phase, which exploits the path taken by atoms through an artificial ‘crystal of light’ built from intersecting laser beams.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Living under one roof, contestants must navigate shifting alliances, outmaneuver their rivals and adapt to an ever-changing game where trust is limited and every move has consequences.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
-
Soon, the European LNGs might find themselves being outmaneuvered by others, such as China.—
Ike Brannon,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There is a hyper awareness to TSADACM, a determination to point out each of its Easter eggs and allusions, lest the viewer think Schoenbrun is trying to outsmart anyone.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
-
The way to outsmart dark modes The RIKEN team took a different approach.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overreach.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreach. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
