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 argued that the encounters were consensual and that the government had overreached.
—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 9 Mar. 2026
Democrats and liberals strongly believe Trump has overreached yet again — albeit not in quite such egregious terms — by inveighing against Bad Bunny.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 10 Feb. 2026
Rozier's lawyers have asked for the charges against him to be thrown out, arguing that the government overreached by turning a private dispute over bettors' use of nonpublic information into a federal case.
—CBS News, 3 Feb. 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, 9 Mar. 2026
Democrats and liberals strongly believe Trump has overreached yet again — albeit not in quite such egregious terms — by inveighing against Bad Bunny.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 10 Feb. 2026
Rozier's lawyers have asked for the charges against him to be thrown out, arguing that the government overreached by turning a private dispute over bettors' use of nonpublic information into a federal case.
—CBS News, 3 Feb. 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
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But don't be deceived by the small-town charm—there's plenty to do here, with historic downtowns full of unique shops, heaps of Southern comfort food, and 80,000 acres of wildlife areas to explore by kayak, bike, and boat.—
Amanda Ogle,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Apr. 2026
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Marie then opened up to Julia about her own experience being deceived by a man who used religion to abuse his power.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Johnson and Mazzulla both led teams that widely exceeded most preseason expectations.—
Tim Reynolds,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
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The ordeal began with a miscalculation in northern Chile, just south of Calama, where energy demands quickly exceeded expectations.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Xander Bogaerts and Bryce Johnson delivered two-out RBIs as the San Diego Padres defeated the Angels 2-1 on Sunday.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
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Also defeated was Vladimir Putin, who especially sought an Orbán victory to keep his firewall in the EU, where Hungary had used its power to block assistance to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia; no longer.—
New York Daily News,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Previously, agents and teams haggled over contracts that surpassed what top veteran players earned.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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Last year was the first time her income surpassed her husband's salary, Feret told USA TODAY.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
23 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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The ferocity of their scenes together, aided by Arias’ devoted yet outmaneuvered Thea, sets the production ablaze with erotic danger.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
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Paramount, which was outmaneuvered by Netflix last December, has received a warmer response from WBD this week and the two media companies are continuing to negotiate.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Rams, seeded 11th, caused an average of 22 turnovers per game with its full-court trapping defense and outwitted everyone in their run from First Four to Final Four.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
18 Mar. 2026
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Probst, who grew up in the Seattle area and started his career here, is synonymous with the show that’s outlasted (and outwitted, and outplayed) any TV counterpart.—
Paige Cornwell,
Twin Cities,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The struggle resonated with parents on Reddit, many of whom admitted they have been outsmarted by their own baby gear.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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In each of these cases, a tech company outsmarted a human—or several—either by producing text convincing enough to pass the smell test, or by creating and marketing a service that convinced a writer to offload part of their labor.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overreached.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreached. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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