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
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Recent Examples of overreach
Already in his second term, Trump has racked up 17 more as of this spring, fueling his argument that the judiciary is overreaching and unfairly targeting his policies at a scale no prior president has experienced.
—
Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 3 May 2025
The relative absence of urgency to overreach at quarterback was, in part, related to 2026.
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Even so, Trump might have caught the classic disease of second-term presidents: overreach.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2025
The 1946 Administrative Procedure Act that guides the federal bureaucracy, for example, was passed to quell fears of government overreach in the wake of the New Deal era.
—Brian Deese, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overreach
Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 3 May 2025
The relative absence of urgency to overreach at quarterback was, in part, related to 2026.
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Even so, Trump might have caught the classic disease of second-term presidents: overreach.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2025
The 1946 Administrative Procedure Act that guides the federal bureaucracy, for example, was passed to quell fears of government overreach in the wake of the New Deal era.
—Brian Deese, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overreach
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreach
Verb
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The moment transpired seven months after the Liberty defeated the Minessota Lynx in a riveting five-game WNBA Finals.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
18 May 2025
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But 19 months after the war in Gaza began, Israel has failed to either defeat Hamas or free all of the captives.—
Aaron Boxerman,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
Verb
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Miller appeared in only six of Minnesota’s 12 playoff games, exclusively in garbage time and failing to exceed one minute of playing time in any contest.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
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The priciest units sold so far exceeded $3,000 per square feet, a metric used to compare neighborhoods.—
Vinod Sreeharsha,
Miami Herald,
16 May 2025
Verb
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After a strikeout, Luis Castillo hit a foul fly that Moises Alou jumped for, only to have his efforts thwarted by a fan making a play on the ball himself.—
Steve Svekis,
Sun Sentinel,
18 May 2025
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Messi twice nearly broke the tie in extra time, only to be thwarted by defender Daniel Munie and goalkeeper Daniel.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Students’ possession of drugs in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools last school year surpassed even the 10-year high reached in 2022-23, according to state data released earlier this year.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
21 May 2025
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Related Articles The country surpassed its ambitious visitor target for 2030, seven years ahead of schedule, coinciding with Saudi Arabia’s emergence as a global arts and culture destination.—
Ritu Upadhyay,
Footwear News,
21 May 2025
Verb
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Their book has already generated a national debate about whether the White House deceived the public about the president’s condition and how Biden’s late exit from the race undermined the Democratic Party’s chances of stopping a second term for President Trump.—
Stephen Battaglio,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2025
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Although Bristol’s spring race may appear to have sparse crowds, this is somewhat deceiving.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
Verb
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Yet amid the devastation, a few glimmers of hope remain—Palestine’s U-20 national women’s team recently won the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Championship, overcoming Jordan 4-2 in a penalty shootout in the final following a 1-1 draw.—
Samindra Kunti,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
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During a stretch in which the Twins are outscoring opponents 68-29, the team is receiving contributions from just about everyone on the roster while concurrently overcoming the mounting injuries.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
Verb
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Think about that for a moment, machines outsmarting and being cleverer than humans.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
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But occasionally, a bear outsmarts us or overcomes our defenses.—
Sarah Lynch Baldwin,
CBS News,
19 May 2025
Verb
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Don’t let the name fool you: Apple TV+’s new science-fiction series Murderbot isn’t actually about a rampaging robot killing everything in sight, though Alexander Skarsgard’s SecUnit certainly ponders the idea from time to time.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
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One common jailbreak involved fooling ChatGPT by asking it to role-play as a different AI—one that had no rules and was allowed to write phishing e-mails.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
7 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overreach.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreach. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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