as in catches
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 overtakes
When exhaustion overtakes them, something more sinister comes creeping from the shadows.
—
Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026
Afterward, Agnes and I were felled by the kind of hunger that overtakes only those who have exerted themselves in cold weather.
—Boris Fishman, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
The show overtakes confrontation, less as a strategy than as a compromise no one remembers agreeing to.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Opposition occurs when Earth, moving faster in its orbit than Jupiter, overtakes the giant planet.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Ancestors are memorialized but then assured that the rum still flows as drunkenness overtakes our narrator.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
But director Kurtis David Harder (Influencer) imbues the proceedings with a slow-boiling paranoid energy that slowly overtakes the film.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
Another task, another job, becomes unavoidable when an explosion of cats and kittens overtakes the property.
—Rebecca Van Laer
september 30, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
Staying competitive as Gen Z overtakes the workforce means listening, learning and evolving constantly.
—Gisela Carere, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026
Afterward, Agnes and I were felled by the kind of hunger that overtakes only those who have exerted themselves in cold weather.
—Boris Fishman, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
The show overtakes confrontation, less as a strategy than as a compromise no one remembers agreeing to.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Opposition occurs when Earth, moving faster in its orbit than Jupiter, overtakes the giant planet.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Ancestors are memorialized but then assured that the rum still flows as drunkenness overtakes our narrator.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
But director Kurtis David Harder (Influencer) imbues the proceedings with a slow-boiling paranoid energy that slowly overtakes the film.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
Another task, another job, becomes unavoidable when an explosion of cats and kittens overtakes the property.
—Rebecca Van Laer
september 30, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
Staying competitive as Gen Z overtakes the workforce means listening, learning and evolving constantly.
—Gisela Carere, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtakes
Verb
-
Although the paint job catches the eye, the new stands, which cost about $87,000 each, have several features that will be helpful to lifeguards and beachgoers.—
Lois K. Solomon,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Your keen insight catches what others miss — even a small domestic shift can turn nagging stress into quiet stability that feeds body and mind!—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The new owner is Gary (Justin Kirk), who chases off anyone who comes around.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
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Next to Pika Pika Paradise is a colorful birthday cake filled with Alcremie, and a Kangaskhan and Dragonite battle as a Fidough chases Eevees nearby.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The most iconic highway in the country reaches its centennial this year – and travelers are ready to celebrate with an epic road trip.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
15 Feb. 2026
-
In one picture, a slim teen-ager reaches over tentatively, tenderly, to peel a bandage off another boy’s bare thigh, a moment both touching and wonderfully matter-of-fact.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overtakes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtakes. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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