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 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
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
That caused some unease in the business community that Douglas County was overreaching.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2026
Commentators quickly pointed out that Anthropic itself has faced high‑profile accusations of overreaching in its own data collection practices beyond the copyright case from authors, such as a separate case over scraping Reddit content.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
The president’s overreaching mass deportation policy will continue.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
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, 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
John Cleveland, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 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
That caused some unease in the business community that Douglas County was overreaching.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2026
Commentators quickly pointed out that Anthropic itself has faced high‑profile accusations of overreaching in its own data collection practices beyond the copyright case from authors, such as a separate case over scraping Reddit content.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
The president’s overreaching mass deportation policy will continue.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
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, 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreaching
Verb
-
In long form, the writers can pack enough globe-spanning spy games, adrenaline-spiking set pieces, and terrorist-thwarting action to keep even James Bond – or Jack Bauer, or Jason Bourne – busy.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Mostly, Julian and Lori take turns thwarting his obnoxious kids and threatening to quit.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The pair was arrested and charged with burglary and grand theft exceeding $20,000.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Treatment often requires hospitalization; when kidney failure is severe, dialysis is needed, with bills often exceeding $10,000.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Swalwell apparently did an excellent job deceiving those around him, including some congressional and campaign staffers who’d known him for years and worked closely with the seven-term lawmaker, day in, day out.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The Mets have a responsibility to protect their players by not throwing them under the bus, but there are ways to do that without trying to convince people that their eyes are deceiving them.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The bipedal humanoid, developed by smartphone maker Honor, blazed through the 13-mile race in just 50 minutes, 26 seconds, besting all 12,000 human competitors and even surpassing the human world record for a half-marathon, set by Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon last month, by nearly seven minutes.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
19 Apr. 2026
-
That's led to positive results with the Flames surpassing last year's win total and conference win total early on this season.—
Jori Parys,
CBS News,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Ben Shelton bounced back from disappointment last year by defeating Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 7-5 to win the Munich Open on Sunday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Cargill won the title at Saturday Night’s Main Event in November, defeating Tiffany Stratton.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Ian Terry won Big Brother season 14 at just 21 years old, becoming the show’s youngest champion after outmaneuvering veteran players with a quiet — but highly calculated — game.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Frank said the team could take pride in overcoming its dreadful start to come within a few victories of landing a higher seed that would have assured them a playoff spot, and posting its league-best 15th consecutive winning season.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The Halos stormed through the playoffs to this franchise's only championship, overcoming a 3-2 series deficit to Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants to win the World Series.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 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 22 Apr. 2026.
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