as in catching
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 overtaking
Oracle founder Larry Ellison tops the list with $276 billion, overtaking Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg ($253 billion).
—
Ella Malmgren, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
San Diego’s odds of October success also hinge on chasing down the Dodgers, or at least overtaking the Chicago Cubs for the top wild-card spot.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Larry Ellison has become the world's richest person, overtaking Elon Musk, after Oracle shares soared by over a third on Wednesday, Bloomberg's Billionaire Index showed.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
The new rules state that e-bike or e-scooter operators must yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and give an audible signal before passing or overtaking them.
—Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
In addition to possibly overtaking Sinners, Weapons, and even Final Destination Bloodlines in terms of lifetime gross at the 2025 box office, Last Rites has a decent shot of clearing each of the other films in the Conjuring universe by the time its theatrical run is through.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025
The Category 5 storm struck the Gulf Coast, overtaking New Orleans’ insufficient levees and floodwalls, leaving residents submerged in water for weeks.
—Avalon Hester, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The company has been at the forefront of China’s aggressive EV push, rapidly expanding its domestic market and overtaking Tesla as the world’s largest EV manufacturer by revenue in 2024.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2025
This exchange would involve Ukraine handing over territory Putin has not been successful in overtaking militarily.
—Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
Ella Malmgren, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
San Diego’s odds of October success also hinge on chasing down the Dodgers, or at least overtaking the Chicago Cubs for the top wild-card spot.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Larry Ellison has become the world's richest person, overtaking Elon Musk, after Oracle shares soared by over a third on Wednesday, Bloomberg's Billionaire Index showed.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
The new rules state that e-bike or e-scooter operators must yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and give an audible signal before passing or overtaking them.
—Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
In addition to possibly overtaking Sinners, Weapons, and even Final Destination Bloodlines in terms of lifetime gross at the 2025 box office, Last Rites has a decent shot of clearing each of the other films in the Conjuring universe by the time its theatrical run is through.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025
The Category 5 storm struck the Gulf Coast, overtaking New Orleans’ insufficient levees and floodwalls, leaving residents submerged in water for weeks.
—Avalon Hester, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The company has been at the forefront of China’s aggressive EV push, rapidly expanding its domestic market and overtaking Tesla as the world’s largest EV manufacturer by revenue in 2024.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2025
This exchange would involve Ukraine handing over territory Putin has not been successful in overtaking militarily.
—Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtaking
Verb
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Simultaneously, Foden attacks the vacant space, catching Manuel Ugarte off guard.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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Emeka Egbuka delivered on the preseason hype in his first NFL game, catching four passes for 67 yards and two scores.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Now the Razorbacks are chasing multiple scores for the first time.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Sep. 2025
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Through it all, commitment — whether to a client, a property, or the process — proved more valuable than chasing short-term gains.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In fiscal 2027, the figure will almost double to $32 billion, before reaching $73 billion, $114 billion and $144 billion in the subsequent three years.—
Ari Levy,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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There still isn’t a ton of pressure on Canales to win at a contender-level clip but not reaching at least a two-game improvement would be a massive disappointment.—
Mike Kaye
September 10,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overtaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtaking. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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