as in to catch
to move fast enough to get even with
she had to hurry to overtake her friends, who had forgotten their umbrellas the thunderstorm overtook them suddenly
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Recent Examples of overtake
Anthropic is releasing a new policy paper warning that China could eventually overtake the United States in the global AI race if Washington fails to strengthen chip restrictions and defend its technological advantage.
—
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 May 2026
Gangs have overtaken more than 90% of Port-au-Prince since the assassination of President Jovenal Moïse in July 2021 at his home.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
Japan was perhaps the earliest originator of this trend, with cats overtaking dogs a decade ago.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
And if societies don't have the will to defend themselves, they'll be overtaken by the Barbarians.
—CBS News, 10 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for overtake
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 May 2026
Gangs have overtaken more than 90% of Port-au-Prince since the assassination of President Jovenal Moïse in July 2021 at his home.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
Japan was perhaps the earliest originator of this trend, with cats overtaking dogs a decade ago.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
And if societies don't have the will to defend themselves, they'll be overtaken by the Barbarians.
—CBS News, 10 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for overtake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtake
Verb
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In that game, with the Eagles beating the New England Patriots 41-33 to win their first Super Bowl, Foles became the first player to throw and catch for a touchdown in the event’s history.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
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One night, into the bar wanders Angel (Rosemarie DeWitt), who looks as caught in the ’40s as Joe is.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
21 May 2026
Verb
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Andrew Benintendi’s leadoff, solo blast in the sixth that chased Taillon was another fastball on the outer edge of the zone.—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
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Ocelli was chasing history, too.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
17 May 2026
Verb
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For one, tech behemoth Microsoft reported better-than-expected quarterly results recently and told investors that capital expenditures for the year will reach $190 billion due to soaring memory costs.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
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Magazines — particularly ones that center fashion or elements of culture that have little to do with sports — have been go-to spaces for tennis stars looking to reach a broad audience and perhaps cast themselves as more than just athletes.—
Ava Wallace,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overtake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtake. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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