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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of overtaken
The ten-story, 1903 industrial building stretches all the way back to Mercer and was overtaken by artists in the 1970s.
—
Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 5 Mar. 2026
Inter’s Federico Dimarco has overtaken Pulisic in the MVP stakes.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
By the time the mistake was realized and the wayward runners were led back onto the race course, they had been overtaken by rest of the field.
—Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
Even Haiti's stadium, Stade Sylvio Cator, the place the national team has called home since 1934, was overtaken in March 2024.
—Johnny Resendiz, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
Avalanche airbags can be part of a backpack and can be manually deployed in an avalanche situation, and can reduce the risk of mortality when overtaken by a slide.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Feb. 2026
The 3-pointer has overtaken the NBA.
—Miami Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
Recreational use dwindled in the 1970s and the park was overtaken by dirt bikes.
—Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal, 14 Feb. 2026
In more mature planetary nebulae — or even in preplanetary nebulae that are closer to the end of their preplanetary stage (with hotter stars powering them) — the ejection process has been muddied by a thousand years or more of earlier ejecta being overtaken by faster-moving, more recent ejecta.
—Big Think, 11 Feb. 2026
Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 5 Mar. 2026
Inter’s Federico Dimarco has overtaken Pulisic in the MVP stakes.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
By the time the mistake was realized and the wayward runners were led back onto the race course, they had been overtaken by rest of the field.
—Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
Even Haiti's stadium, Stade Sylvio Cator, the place the national team has called home since 1934, was overtaken in March 2024.
—Johnny Resendiz, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
Avalanche airbags can be part of a backpack and can be manually deployed in an avalanche situation, and can reduce the risk of mortality when overtaken by a slide.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Feb. 2026
The 3-pointer has overtaken the NBA.
—Miami Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
Recreational use dwindled in the 1970s and the park was overtaken by dirt bikes.
—Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal, 14 Feb. 2026
In more mature planetary nebulae — or even in preplanetary nebulae that are closer to the end of their preplanetary stage (with hotter stars powering them) — the ejection process has been muddied by a thousand years or more of earlier ejecta being overtaken by faster-moving, more recent ejecta.
—Big Think, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtaken
Verb
-
Secure loose outdoor items and adjust plans as necessary so you're not caught outside.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
5 Mar. 2026
-
In 93 career games, Lazard has caught 239 passes for 3,147 yards and 28 touchdowns.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Montgomery chased it for a swinging strike.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
-
And like so many franchises before it, an endless number of follow-ups chased easy money and diminishing returns.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overtaken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtaken. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
