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
But the agency's conservative critics have long accused the CFPB of overreaching, punishing small lenders and harming businesses.
—
Stephan Bisaha, NPR, 21 Jan. 2026
Our norms and expectations are being shattered by an overreaching executive.
—Noah Feldman, Mercury News, 28 Nov. 2025
Our norms and expectations are being shattered by an overreaching executive.
—Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 25 Nov. 2025
That includes hackers lurking on public Wi-Fi, your internet service provider, or even an overreaching advertiser trying to build a profile on you.
—Ken Colburn, AZCentral.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Elected in 2012 amid the Tea Party movement, Massie has been a consistent critic of an overreaching federal government, of budget deficits and foreign interventionism.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 22 Oct. 2025
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
Stephan Bisaha, NPR, 21 Jan. 2026
Our norms and expectations are being shattered by an overreaching executive.
—Noah Feldman, Mercury News, 28 Nov. 2025
Our norms and expectations are being shattered by an overreaching executive.
—Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 25 Nov. 2025
That includes hackers lurking on public Wi-Fi, your internet service provider, or even an overreaching advertiser trying to build a profile on you.
—Ken Colburn, AZCentral.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Elected in 2012 amid the Tea Party movement, Massie has been a consistent critic of an overreaching federal government, of budget deficits and foreign interventionism.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 22 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreaching
Verb
-
Justin was arguably United’s man of the match, personally thwarting Florian Wirtz with two last-gasp blocks in the first half as a wing-back, before proving equally dependable at centre-back in the latter stages.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2026
-
Askarov finished with 20 saves for the Sharks, including thwarting Quinn Hughes on an overtime breakaway.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Five elite wing suit flyers navigate an opening in the world’s tallest hotel at speeds exceeding 124 mph.—
Tricia Escobedo,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Output climbed by 8% to an all-time high of almost 890,346 tons last year, according to data released by Mines and Minerals Development Minister Paul Kabuswe, who’s confident Zambia can fulfill its ambition of exceeding 1 million tons in 2026.—
Taonga Mitimingi,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Although appearances can be deceiving.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Ah, but appearances can be deceiving.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That measure passed overwhelmingly, by a 2-to-1 majority, easily surpassing that of the original initiative.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Pomegranates have reached super stature and have been dubbed the new super fruit, surpassing blueberries as the antioxidant of choice for heart health.—
Mary Ann Esposito,
Boston Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Dirksen was elected to the Senate in 1950, defeating Scott Lucas, the incumbent Democrat and Senate majority leader.—
John T. Shaw,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
-
McBeth had a successful week for Saratoga, defeating her 11th-grade opponent from MacDonald High 13-1 on Tuesday.—
Christian Babcock,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Mamdani will lead a city of over 8 million people, the capital of media, finance and much else, whose annual budget tops $116 billion, after outmaneuvering rivals with decades more experience in a race that captured national attention.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Relay is a smart, small-scale espionage film focused on operatives outmaneuvering one another.—
Scott Phillips,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Here’s her strategy for overcoming procrastination.—
Sophie Caldwell,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
-
For Nayyar, overcoming user hesitancy, particularly among older generations, has been an ongoing educational process.—
Esha Chhabra,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The characters here, though, are nowhere near so smart as those conniving pagans and can only dream of outwitting the sophisticated folk from the mainland, coming there with their talk of cake, and comfy chairs, and their lies.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Time and Numbers—there’s no outwitting them.—
Joy Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overreaching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreaching. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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