as in caught
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 overtaken
Then October 7th happened, and it was overtaken by events.
—
Joe Kiani, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
Soon, his real childhood is overtaken by his career, when Joseph pulls the group—now called the Jackson Five—out of school for a Chicago gig.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026
If your social feeds have been overtaken by a seven-foot-tall orange furry creature with unhinged googly eyes chasing terrified hockey fans down a hallway, congratulations — you’ve been introduced to playoff Gritty.
—Ryan Brennan
april 23, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
This reflects an industry-wide trend, as SUV sales have overtaken sedans by a wide margin.
—Robert Ferris, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
By 1926, Schomburg’s collection no longer fit in his family’s modest rowhouse, where books had overtaken every room and were even stacked on top of the piano.
—Laura E. Helton, Literary Hub, 20 Apr. 2026
By 2019, Samsung had overtaken Intel as the leader in semiconductor manufacturing.
—Chris Anderson, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
The exception was Nicklaus in 1975, who was overtaken by Tom Weiskopf.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
Direct grocery and gasoline prices to households will in most cases be overtaken by slower growth of output.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
Joe Kiani, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
Soon, his real childhood is overtaken by his career, when Joseph pulls the group—now called the Jackson Five—out of school for a Chicago gig.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026
If your social feeds have been overtaken by a seven-foot-tall orange furry creature with unhinged googly eyes chasing terrified hockey fans down a hallway, congratulations — you’ve been introduced to playoff Gritty.
—Ryan Brennan
april 23, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
This reflects an industry-wide trend, as SUV sales have overtaken sedans by a wide margin.
—Robert Ferris, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
By 1926, Schomburg’s collection no longer fit in his family’s modest rowhouse, where books had overtaken every room and were even stacked on top of the piano.
—Laura E. Helton, Literary Hub, 20 Apr. 2026
By 2019, Samsung had overtaken Intel as the leader in semiconductor manufacturing.
—Chris Anderson, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
The exception was Nicklaus in 1975, who was overtaken by Tom Weiskopf.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
Direct grocery and gasoline prices to households will in most cases be overtaken by slower growth of output.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtaken
Verb
-
The barbed fact is that the woman caught in the middle of this unusual male arrangement benefits from none of their newfound emotional enlightenment.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Being caught and released multiple times could lead to injury or death for the muskie.—
Mike McFeely,
Twin Cities,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Bo Bichette led off the bottom of the first with a home run against right-hander Zack Littell, and the Mets chased him from the game in the fourth inning.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Officers briefly chased the suspect through Highland Park, but backed off.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overtaken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtaken. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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