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
That caused some unease in the business community that Douglas County was overreaching.
—
John Aguilar, Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for overreach
John Aguilar, Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for overreach
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreach
Verb
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Earlier this month, Michigan defeated UConn in the NCAA men’s basketball national championship game.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
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In large part because the only feeling more satisfying than defeating your enemies is that of defeating your friends.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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All of his last three efforts on Friday exceeded 49 feet.—
Steve Brand,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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With most municipalities at or exceeding flood levels, here is where things stood as of week’s end and what was being affected by the high water.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The draconian rule of law under Pinochet also thwarted the young director’s cinematic ambitions.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
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During clutch time over multiple possessions, Jokic was thwarted.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Originally surpassing three and a half hours, the first cut of Michael reportedly ended with an accuser, whose settlement with the singer’s estate guaranteed they would never be dramatized.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 2026
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As of March 2026, the business surpassed $1 million in sales.—
Jennifer Liu,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Swalwell apparently did an excellent job deceiving those around him, including some congressional and campaign staffers who’d known him for years and worked closely with the seven-term lawmaker, day in, day out.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
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The Mets have a responsibility to protect their players by not throwing them under the bus, but there are ways to do that without trying to convince people that their eyes are deceiving them.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Braves couldn’t overcome a poor start from Reynaldo López and saw their six-game winning streak fall by the wayside in an 11-4 loss to the Nationals on Tuesday at Nationals Park.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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That power production has overcome incredibly poor luck so far this season.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Iran has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to exploit the rhythms of American politics — election cycles, media pressures, bureaucratic fragmentation — to delay, confuse, and outmaneuver counterparts.—
Gaurav Srivastava,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Apr. 2026
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Krüger trained Filou to test out a working theory that seals use their whiskers to outmaneuver fish trying to escape them.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Instead of drafting franchise cornerstones in JaMarr Chase or Penei Sewell, ex-GM Chris Grier outsmarted himself.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
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Earth Day is the one day a year when picking up litter feels less like a chore and more like joining a very low-budget superhero league — no cape required, just a decent pair of gloves and a willingness to outsmart a rogue plastic bag.—
Vytas Reid,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overreach.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreach. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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