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
Chicago is either a war zone quickly spiraling out of control, or a peaceful city under siege by an overreaching federal government.
—
Ben Smith, semafor.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Starmer, along with members of his Labour government, has argued that education should be prioritized instead of overreaching government mandates.
—Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Supporters hailed it as a safeguard against catastrophic risks; critics blasted it as overreaching and impossible to enforce at AI’s pace.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2025
The motion was withdrawn after a significant public and judicial backlash, an episode that solidified her image as a guardian of institutional integrity against an overreaching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
Ben Smith, semafor.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Starmer, along with members of his Labour government, has argued that education should be prioritized instead of overreaching government mandates.
—Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Supporters hailed it as a safeguard against catastrophic risks; critics blasted it as overreaching and impossible to enforce at AI’s pace.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreaching
Verb
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Kalkbrenner showed off his ability to be a paint presence, thwarting one second-half dunk attempt, and displayed some of the flashes that had his teammates and the coaching staff talking him up throughout the Hornets’ six days in the Lowcountry.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Oct. 2025
-
There had already been one major let-off with Alisson thwarting Yilmaz, who had got in behind the makeshift right-back too easily.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The study showed that the robot could make multiple turns exceeding 100 degrees along its body length when activated.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
-
But Vrabel’s methods are working, because the Patriots are exceeding expectations and punching above their weight atop the AFC East standings.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the decades that followed, Freeman, who died in 2025, assembled a vast array of literary fakes, collecting books whose content is deceiving in nature.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
13 Oct. 2025
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Two culinary pros gave us the real scoop about how certain vanilla bean ice creams have been deceiving us all these years.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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No one goes home this week After surpassing 50 million votes, no one is going home tonight.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Morgan Stanley posted a blockbuster third-quarter earnings report on Wednesday, far surpassing analyst expectations and posting its biggest earnings beat in nearly five years.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Mariners reached this year’s ALCS off the back of the longest winner-takes-all playoff game in MLB history on Friday, dramatically defeating the Detroit Tigers 3-2 in a four-hour, 58-minute contest.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Alabama continued its rebound from a Week 1 loss by defeating Missouri.—
Erick Smith,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Relay is a smart, small-scale espionage film focused on operatives outmaneuvering one another.—
Scott Phillips,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The other notable incident of the first half was one person overcoming the tight security measures to reach the pitch.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Leaper Williams, a Lawrence High graduate who started working at KU at 16, emerged as one of KU football’s most recognizable employees through the years, overcoming a development impairment due to anoxia, a lack of oxygen to the brain, at birth.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
8 Oct. 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 19 Oct. 2025.
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