Thesaurus results for OVERREACH

overreach

verb

ˌō-vər-ˈrēch

Definition of overreach

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

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 Now, who can stop the president from overreaching? — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 Criticizing the Legislature has become a common theme among local governments, such as Boise and Meridian, who have often complained that state lawmakers overreach and step on local control. — Idaho Statesman, 15 June 2026 During the McCarthy era, overreaching laws, surveillance, and public and private sector reprisals ostensibly targeted alleged communists. — Bruce Schneier, The Conversation, 27 May 2026 At some point, the bracket creep is going to overreach into the point of diminishing marginal returns — dulling regular seasons and perhaps ultimately even eventually interest in the postseasons. — Kansas City Star, 24 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for overreach

Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreach

Verb

Calypso had been banished to live on the island of Ogygia after the Olympians defeated the Titans long ago.

— Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
Tiffany Stratton qualified by defeating Jacy Jayne, while Jade Cargill advanced via disqualification against Nia Jax after Charlotte Flair's interference.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026

Definition of defeat

Verb

Ukraine has developed drones and electronic warfare to thwart nearly all attack drones but not fast-moving missiles.

— Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 22 July 2026
Indian troops were deployed to thwart Chinese advances but were reportedly inadequately supplied, underprepared, and overwhelmed.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 July 2026

Definition of thwart

Verb

Even if Kylian Mbappe clinched the Golden Boot in the third-place play-off against England and surpassed him as the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer, many of the other all-time records in this competition belong to Messi.

— James Horncastle, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Despite those stumbles, domestic ticket sales are roughly 10% above 2025, according to Rentrak, and the summer season is expected to surpass $4 billion for the second time since the pandemic upended the industry.

— Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 19 July 2026

Definition of surpass

Verb

In an era when AI generates convincing falsehoods at scale and a third of teenagers report being deceived by fake content online, the ability to weigh evidence critically is not an academic exercise but a plain necessity.

— Rajiv Vinnakota, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Andreas Schjelderup opened the scoring with a spectacular cross-shot that deceived Jordan Pickford and, although Jude Bellingham struck back for England in first-half stoppage time, Norway looked the more likely winners as the second period wore on.

— Oliver Kay, New York Times, 12 July 2026

Definition of deceive

Verb

Democrats have been struggling to overcome disarray in other messy primaries across this year’s midterm calendar.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
Ding said optical interconnects are becoming essential for overcoming the scalability limits of conventional server architectures.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 18 July 2026

Definition of overcome

Verb

Apple's September launch of the iPhone 18 Pro is a calculated strategic move to outmaneuver Android competitors, including Samsung and Google.

— Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
In the end, Seattle outmaneuvered and outbodied the Sparks, snatching steals and flipping the ball around the perimeter until the Storm fired off a shot.

— Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026

Definition of outmaneuver

Verb

The family-friendly mythological comedy follows eight ordinary mortals who must use their collective wit and courage to outsmart formidable deities, ultimately earning the legendary title of the Eight Immortals.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 July 2026
McClair, a scurrying cerebral Glaswegian signed from Celtic and one of the few players to outsmart his boss Sir Alex Ferguson, had become the first in 20 years, since Best, to score 20 league goals for United.

— Andy Mitten, New York Times, 17 July 2026

Definition of outsmart

Browse Nearby Words

overrating

overreach

overreached

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Overreach.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreach. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of overreach

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

itinerant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes