1
as in deceived
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 exceeded
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 overreached
The defense has argued that the encounters were consensual and that the government has overreached.
—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 20 Jan. 2026
The pregnant pauses between seasons have overreached.
—Emma Flint, IndieWire, 25 Nov. 2025
The law also aims to rein in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Republicans argue had overreached under former President Joe Biden.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 20 Jan. 2026
The pregnant pauses between seasons have overreached.
—Emma Flint, IndieWire, 25 Nov. 2025
The law also aims to rein in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Republicans argue had overreached under former President Joe Biden.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreached
Verb
-
Challengers should give Marylanders the option to choose a new direction and remove the need to confront the painful reality that they were deceived.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Trump told people that Rupert deceived him.—
Gabriel Sherman,
Vanity Fair,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Twenty-four years later, their mission and their conduct have exceeded the worst imaginings of even their sharpest critics.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
-
However, four players for Grand Canyon exceeded Buchanan’s point total, including three with 16 points, and senior guard Jaden Henley scored a game-high 20 — 18 of them in the second half.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Rehmet, a veteran and labor union leader, defeated Republican activist and entrepreneur Leigh Wambsganss to represent Texas' 9th Senate district, located in the Fort Worth area.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
2 Feb. 2026
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So are some other 2020 finalists, Bono the Havanese, Wilma the boxer — and Siba, the standard poodle who defeated them all to claim that year’s best in show award.—
Jennifer Peltz,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The number surpassed the historical pre-pandemic average by 37 percent, but remained significantly lower than the 2019 attendance figure of 1,351,000.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
29 Jan. 2026
-
California’s budgets became dependent on a relatively few high-income taxpayers over the last four decades, as income taxes surpassed sales taxes to become the most important revenue source.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But season-ending injuries to Rashawn Slater, Joe Alt and Harris, coupled with Hampton being undermined by ankle injuries, thwarted meaningful year-over-year gains (122 yards per game in 2025; 111 in 2024).—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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Boldy had picked off a pass while shorthanded early in the game and had made a rush to the Panthers net that was thwarted.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
We are frequently being outmaneuvered, crushed, or ignored.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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Heavy doses of match coverage take heavy doses of mental discipline, and the Broncos were outmaneuvered a few too many times by Jacksonville.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
23 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Maduro has in any case outwitted dozens of attempts to depose him over the years.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
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Though Penn State had a key injury with linebacker Tony Rojas sidelined, Knowles was also outwitted by Neuheisel, who only took over the role for the Bruins earlier this week.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
However, ancient mythology is filled with examples of crafty foxes being outsmarted by their own traps.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
20 Jan. 2026
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However, Cena outsmarted him by grabbing the chair, throwing it next to Dom, and pretending to be down on the mat.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overreached.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreached. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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