1
as in thwarting
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 exceeding
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 overreaching
The motion was withdrawn after a significant public and judicial backlash, an episode that solidified her image as a guardian of institutional integrity against an overreaching executive.
—
Sugam Pokharel, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
Early Americans thus saw jury service not merely as a procedural safeguard against overreaching government authority, but as a way to distribute the power granted by the Constitution, ensuring that ordinary citizens played an important role.
—Richard Lorren Jolly, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
The rescission process under the Impoundment Control Act was created in response to an overreaching executive branch in the 1970s, and it should be used today to keep the spending power in Congress.
—The Editors, National Review, 10 Mar. 2025
Setting aside the fact that this order may deny care to adults, who are free to make their own health care decisions, this overreaching executive order substitutes the president’s misinformed view for that of every medical association in America.
—Edwin C. Yohnka, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2025
The actions have been sharply criticized by Democrats who say the unelected tech billionaire is overreaching and prompted several lawsuits.
—Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 13 Feb. 2025
In response, the administration pushed back with claims that the court is overreaching.
—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Feb. 2025
That's hard to do when a candidate doesn't even win a majority of the popular vote, but presidents often overread their electoral mandates and wind up overreaching.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 19 Jan. 2025
There’s a difference between overreaching and more dangerous behaviors.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
Sugam Pokharel, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
Early Americans thus saw jury service not merely as a procedural safeguard against overreaching government authority, but as a way to distribute the power granted by the Constitution, ensuring that ordinary citizens played an important role.
—Richard Lorren Jolly, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
The rescission process under the Impoundment Control Act was created in response to an overreaching executive branch in the 1970s, and it should be used today to keep the spending power in Congress.
—The Editors, National Review, 10 Mar. 2025
Setting aside the fact that this order may deny care to adults, who are free to make their own health care decisions, this overreaching executive order substitutes the president’s misinformed view for that of every medical association in America.
—Edwin C. Yohnka, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2025
The actions have been sharply criticized by Democrats who say the unelected tech billionaire is overreaching and prompted several lawsuits.
—Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 13 Feb. 2025
In response, the administration pushed back with claims that the court is overreaching.
—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Feb. 2025
That's hard to do when a candidate doesn't even win a majority of the popular vote, but presidents often overread their electoral mandates and wind up overreaching.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 19 Jan. 2025
There’s a difference between overreaching and more dangerous behaviors.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreaching
Verb
-
The cyanobacteria quickly grew back, thwarting efforts that cost tens of thousands of dollars.—
Keith Matheny,
Freep.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to designate Marilyn Monroe’s former Westside home as a historic cultural monument, thwarting the current owners’ attempt to demolish it.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As experts, the members of Forbes Business Council have experience implementing customer service best practices without exceeding their budget or overwhelming their team.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
An American Medical Association survey of 13,000 physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants in 2022 reflected rates of burnout exceeding 50% in several key specialties.—
Patrick Aguilar,
The Conversation,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Looks can be deceiving, Cali said.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The lexicon of the wine world can be deceiving.—
Tom Mullen,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Most good thrillers escalate gradually, with each twist surpassing the last.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Oracle on Wednesday jumped from being the 13th-most valuable company in the S&P 500 to the 10th most-valuable, surpassing the market value of Eli Lilly (LLY), Walmart (WMT) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM).—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Auburn opened the season by defeating visiting Baylor by two touchdowns, a good win to begin with and one that looks better after the Bears outlasted SMU.—
Tom Layberger,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz won his second US Open title, defeating Italian rival Jannik Sinner in four thrilling sets.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Relay is a smart, small-scale espionage film focused on operatives outmaneuvering one another.—
Scott Phillips,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The movie adaptation is also rife with metaphors about boys becoming men and overcoming life-or-death circumstances to make it out the other side.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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But in reality, deepfakes are getting better and the threat industry has many years of experience in honing lures to trick people, playing on emotions and overcoming natural suspicions and objections.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Ben Shapiro, Pete Buttigieg, Michael Knowles, Alex O’Connor—these are professional debaters capable of outwitting and outreasoning almost any audience member unfamiliar with traditional debate techniques, regardless of the topic or claim being considered.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overreaching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreaching. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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