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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of overreach
Advertisement European leaders fear that Russia could overreach beyond Ukraine, forcing a NATO member to respond.
—
Comfort Ero, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
That drew concerns about privacy and overreach.
—Idaho Statesman, 1 Dec. 2025
Our norms and expectations are being shattered by an overreaching executive.
—Noah Feldman, Mercury News, 28 Nov. 2025
Our norms and expectations are being shattered by an overreaching executive.
—Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overreach
Comfort Ero, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
That drew concerns about privacy and overreach.
—Idaho Statesman, 1 Dec. 2025
Our norms and expectations are being shattered by an overreaching executive.
—Noah Feldman, Mercury News, 28 Nov. 2025
Our norms and expectations are being shattered by an overreaching executive.
—Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overreach
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreach
Verb
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The Magic rallied from 17 points down to win 120-117, but the Jazz defeated the Heat 115-111.—
Mark Anderson,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
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The Cyclones, who are 13-0 at Hilton Coliseum this season, have defeated the Jayhawks three straight years in the building.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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California’s cannabis tax revenue exceeded $500 million in the first half of 2025.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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Naumov doesn’t enter with the same pressure as Malinin but has already exceeded expectations in his mind.—
Greg Rosenstein,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the 27th minute, diving to his left to thwart Juninho Vieira.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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The Prince and Princess of Wales’ statement came ahead of William’s three-day trip to Saudi Arabia, which kicked off on Monday—likely in an attempt to thwart any questions about the issue while the future king is abroad.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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SimpleImages/Getty Images Gold prices have been on a remarkable run over the past year, with the price of the precious metal consistently surpassing prior records and just recently climbing to historic levels above $5,000 per ounce.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
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The media giant’s HBO Max and Discovery+ services delivered their strongest Winter Olympics streaming performance to date through the opening days of competition, surpassing both Beijing 2022 and PyeongChang 2018 benchmarks.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Neglecting The Kitchen Sink Your sink may look spick-and-span, but looks can be deceiving.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
16 Feb. 2026
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But a superficial comparison between Delta, United, and American across certain headline metrics can be deceiving.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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France’s Eric Perrot overcame a wobble on the final shoot and a late surge from Norway’s Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen to win a sensational first men’s relay gold medal for his country today.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
17 Feb. 2026
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While most fungal attempts at infection fail, a small number do succeed thanks to the constant evolutionary pressure on pathogens to overcome host plant defenses.—
Lily Peck,
The Conversation,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Despite being outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Washington maintained order among his demoralized troops.—
Christopher Magra,
The Conversation,
10 Feb. 2026
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Frady is caught in something confusing and unexpected, his stance of paranoid preparedness unable to outmaneuver this, and what’s coming.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There’s also the Travelon Anti-theft Classic Mini Shoulder Bag designed to outsmart pickpockets, plus the Taygeer Travel Backpack that can easily replace your carry-on.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Jan. 2026
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Williams did not play the cool heel or try to outsmart everyone.—
Rob Wolkenbrod,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overreach.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreach. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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