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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overtakes
Opposition occurs when Earth, moving faster in its orbit than Jupiter, overtakes the giant planet.
—
Joe Rao, Space.com, 7 Jan. 2026
But there comes a point where the infection overtakes the body.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025
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
Set in a small town in King’s home state of Maine, The Mist follows a group of characters who take shelter in a grocery store when a mysterious fog filled with eldritch monsters overtakes the town.
—James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Pete doesn't get far before the cold overtakes him.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Sep. 2025
Joe Rao, Space.com, 7 Jan. 2026
But there comes a point where the infection overtakes the body.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025
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
Set in a small town in King’s home state of Maine, The Mist follows a group of characters who take shelter in a grocery store when a mysterious fog filled with eldritch monsters overtakes the town.
—James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Pete doesn't get far before the cold overtakes him.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtakes
Verb
-
The Sorcerer’s enormous rear wing catches the eye the most, which was a choice of the owner, who also wanted a front spoiler to make the car more track-focused.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The distinctive design catches the eye of thousands of people passing by each day.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
One child chases the duck, catches it, and stomps on it repeatedly.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
-
When Lucerys refuses, Aemond chases Lucerys on his dragon, seemingly meaning to injure him rather than kill him, but his dragon, Vhagar, delivers a fatal blow to Rhaenyra’s son.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The new tracking method may also help answer the big unknown of how much space debris actually reaches the surface of Earth.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Sanitation workers will begin plowing streets and bike lanes once accumulation reaches two inches.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overtakes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtakes. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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