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
During the McCarthy era, overreaching laws, surveillance, and public and private sector reprisals ostensibly targeted alleged communists.
—
Bruce Schneier, The Conversation, 27 May 2026
Politically, the industry was equal parts liberal and libertarian, and was perhaps best reflected by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, created to protect the denizens of cyberspace from an overreaching government.
—Jonathan Weber, Fortune, 19 May 2026
The premiere audience gasped and snorted in disbelief as Stan and Reinsve suffer the indignity of an overreaching state — removing teens, tweens and an infant from their loving care.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 18 May 2026
The top 3 issues facing our communities in District 2 and San Diego are the high cost of living, crumbling infrastructure and overreaching outsiders.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
However, Dombeck is cautious about overreaching on BTSP’s significance.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 24 Apr. 2026
The bill’s supporters frame it as a blow against overregulation, viewing it as a necessary bulwark against (supposedly) overreaching state animal welfare standards like Question 3.
—John Cleveland, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
The challenge is to thoughtfully manage the gap between innovation and execution, maintaining momentum without overreaching.
—Ashwin Gaidhani, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2026
But some Bay Area cities and counties already have decided that the Flock Safety tools are too overreaching.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2026
Bruce Schneier, The Conversation, 27 May 2026
Politically, the industry was equal parts liberal and libertarian, and was perhaps best reflected by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, created to protect the denizens of cyberspace from an overreaching government.
—Jonathan Weber, Fortune, 19 May 2026
The premiere audience gasped and snorted in disbelief as Stan and Reinsve suffer the indignity of an overreaching state — removing teens, tweens and an infant from their loving care.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 18 May 2026
The top 3 issues facing our communities in District 2 and San Diego are the high cost of living, crumbling infrastructure and overreaching outsiders.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
However, Dombeck is cautious about overreaching on BTSP’s significance.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 24 Apr. 2026
The bill’s supporters frame it as a blow against overregulation, viewing it as a necessary bulwark against (supposedly) overreaching state animal welfare standards like Question 3.
—John Cleveland, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
The challenge is to thoughtfully manage the gap between innovation and execution, maintaining momentum without overreaching.
—Ashwin Gaidhani, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2026
But some Bay Area cities and counties already have decided that the Flock Safety tools are too overreaching.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreaching
Verb
-
Scenes at the coveted Edwards Ranch — the property Rip and Beth took over, thwarting Beulah Jackson's (Annette Bening) plans to expand her land — were filmed at the real-life Saunders Ranch in Weatherford, Texas.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
-
Brendan Fraser is on hand as well, playing a jerky LAPD detective who keeps stepping on Diamond’s toes, thwarting the private eye’s shrewd attempts to crack the case.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
The drone boat has supposedly survived a range of sea states that included waves exceeding five feet in height.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
-
Kansas City has gotten off to one of its wettest starts on record, with April and May driving the total and far exceeding normal precipitation for those two months.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
He was also accused of deceiving escrow agents to secure the release of pre-construction condo deposits and then misappropriated those funds for personal expenses unrelated to the developments.—
Jay Weaver
June 6,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2026
-
While the prominence resembles a fiery eruption, Johnston notes that looks can be deceiving.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
5 June 2026
Verb
-
Freeland, 33, had just pitched 1,313 1/3 major league innings, all in a Rockies uniform, surpassing Aaron Cook (1,312 1/3) for the franchise record.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
8 June 2026
-
Since then, the number of visitors to Huangshan — known as the most marvelous mountain in China — has only grown, surpassing 5 million for the first time last year.—
Jennifer Jett,
NBC news,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
After defeating the Netherlands, Team Algeria returned home for a short break.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
8 June 2026
-
After defeating Chwalinska in straight sets, Andreeva took time at the end of her acceptance speech to speak Russian, seemingly in defiance of the vilification due to her ethnic heritage by the tennis governing bodies and opposing players.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
Verb
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Rather than overpowering them with brute force, German forces managed to defeat the French and British forces in the Battle of France (1940) by simply outmaneuvering them.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
20 May 2026
-
The Strategic Powerhouses These names are inspired by women who lead with their minds, outmaneuvering everyone in the room.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
One lawmaker Lackey’s unofficial bill title wasn’t lost upon was Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, D-Jefferson Park, a lawmaker who has spoken publicly about overcoming systemic barriers in his own life as a Black man and has centered his political career largely on criminal justice reform.—
Andrew Graham
May 28,
Sacbee.com,
28 May 2026
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That’s because the Phillies (29-27) stand as a serious threat in the wild-card races, and overcoming the Dodgers in the West race just isn’t realistic.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Bob Markle was good at outwitting violators.—
Dave Duffey,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Folktales are filled with people fighting to survive in forests, steppes, and deserts, and evading and outwitting the wild beasts that dwell within them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overreaching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreaching. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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