overreached

verb

past tense of overreach
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

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 overreached Ultimately, Judge Darwin ruled in favor of the California Gaming Association, reaffirming its argument that the Bureau of Gambling Control overreached by attempting to impose new regulations. — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 7 July 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreached
  1. deceived
  2. exceeded
  3. defeated
  4. surpassed
  5. thwarted
  6. outmaneuvered
  7. outwitted
  8. outsmarted
Verb
  • Now some say the operation has left them feeling deceived and questioning whether the White House considered their safety.
    — Scott Nover, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2026
  • White House pool reporters deceived Advertisement McDonald pushed back on the idea that Air Force One and the people still aboard it, including journalists, were left exposed.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of deceived
Verb
  • The city's spending on the two cases has therefore already exceeded the contract cap by $382,000.
    — Brian Maass, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • An Allegheny River site southeast of Ohio exceeded that benchmark every time it was tested.
    — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of exceeded
Verb
  • In Saturday’s semifinals, Pegula beat defending champion Iga Swiatek and Gauff defeated Sara Bejlek to set up the first all-American women’s final at the Cincinnati Open in 56 years.
    — Jeff Wallner, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
  • India is leading the two-match series having defeated Sri Lanka by 165 runs in the first match in Galle.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of defeated
Verb
  • The average two-bedroom rent in the city has now surpassed New York City, traditionally the nation’s most expensive city for rents.
    — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The government has spent nearly all of its full-year allocation for fuel subsidies already, after oil prices surpassed the $85 benchmark that the estimate was based on.
    — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of surpassed
Verb
  • The plan was thwarted by heavy rain that delayed the meeting.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026
  • But he was again thwarted, this time by bad weather—probably a hurricane by modern standards—which drove the ships away.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of thwarted
Verb
  • For more than a decade, India’s leader Narendra Modi has seemed politically unassailable, presiding over a government that has outmaneuvered opponents, dominated public discourse and squeezed the space for dissent in the world’s biggest democracy.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 28 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 outmaneuvered
Verb
  • To say that Cucurella was pleased, when the Spanish side outwitted the French in the semifinal, would be an understatement.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • For Deschamps and Stephan, there was no shortage of blame after Spain’s Luis de la Fuente outwitted the French coaching staff for the third time, following wins at the 2024 European Championship and last year’s Nations League semi-final.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of outwitted
Verb
  • For fun, its creator Antonio Prohias also introduced a third agent who often outsmarted both.
    — Will Townsend, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • This disease did not retreat because the bacterium weakened or because humanity outsmarted it.
    — Katrine L. Wallace, The Conversation, 29 July 2026
Definition of outsmarted

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overreached
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Cite this Entry

“Overreached.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreached. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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