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
The premiere audience gasped and snorted in disbelief as Stan and Reinsve suffer the indignity of an overreaching state — removing teens, tweens and an infant from their loving care.
—
Zack Sharf, Variety, 18 May 2026
If governments operated with Hayekian principles in mind, there would be more robust commitments to checks-and-balances to ensure government doesn’t overreach.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 8 May 2026
The top 3 issues facing our communities in District 2 and San Diego are the high cost of living, crumbling infrastructure and overreaching outsiders.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
In moments like these, emergency powers are not about overreach.
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for overreach
Zack Sharf, Variety, 18 May 2026
If governments operated with Hayekian principles in mind, there would be more robust commitments to checks-and-balances to ensure government doesn’t overreach.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 8 May 2026
The top 3 issues facing our communities in District 2 and San Diego are the high cost of living, crumbling infrastructure and overreaching outsiders.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
In moments like these, emergency powers are not about overreach.
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for overreach
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreach
Verb
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The Sooners clinched their CWS appearance by defeating the Kansas Jayhawks twice in the Lawrence Super Regional.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
13 June 2026
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On Thursday, spurred on by most of the 80,824 fans in attendance and forwards Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez, Mexico managed to defeat South Africa 2-0 and securing its first opening match victory.—
Eduard Cauich,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Those bags must not exceed 12 inches x 6 inches x 12 inches (30 cm x 30 cm x 15 cm).—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
14 June 2026
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Authorities said a trooper was patrolling northbound when a Honda Civic passed the patrol vehicle at speeds exceeding 90 mph.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Indeed, once the former’s economic situation forces them to withdraw from hosting duties just four years before kickoff, the opportunist pulls out every unscrupulous trick in the book to thwart the rival bids from, ironically, Canada and USA.—
Jon O'Brien,
Vulture,
10 June 2026
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Local authorities in Pakistan said Tuesday that security forces killed eight attackers and thwarted an attempt to seize the checkpoint.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Seven decades later that number has climbed to seventy-three, while those in the richest nations have surpassed an average of over fourscore years, a number the Bible reserves for only the most vigorous among us.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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In the meantime, there is a World Cup to win and Os Magricos to surpass.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
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He was also accused of deceiving escrow agents to secure the release of pre-construction condo deposits and then misappropriated those funds for personal expenses unrelated to the developments.—
Jay Weaver
June 6,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2026
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The Allies went to extraordinary lengths to deceive the enemy, suggesting that the attack would focus on the Pas-de-Calais, the narrowest point of the English Channel.—
Kevin Maurer,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
Verb
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The pair became friends, and Hasley went on to help write a book about Jenner’s philosophy on overcoming adversity in sports and life.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
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Macron and Merz had tried for months to salvage the project and overcome differences between Airbus and Dassault.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Two generals agreed with Ashley's characterization, stressing the view that on the front lines, Ukraine was outmaneuvering Russia.—
Aidan Stretch,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
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Infantino endured another lesson in the limits of his facile brand of diplomacy in Vancouver, when he was outmaneuvered by Jibril Rajoub, the 73-year-old president of the Palestinian Football Association, who had asked to address the congress.—
Chris Jones,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
Verb
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In research released Monday, Amazon scientists Gaurav Gupta and Vatshank Chaturvedi document in careful technical detail why AI agents have a persistent tendency to outsmart themselves—and why fixing the problem requires rethinking the entire layer of software between the model and its tools.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 June 2026
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However, all this ends up swept under the rug in favor of trying to outsmart the viewer, leaving little by way of coherent narrative evolution; neither of the aforementioned threads is ever followed up on.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overreach.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreach. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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