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
Japan was perhaps the earliest originator of this trend, with cats overtaking dogs a decade ago.
—
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Already overtaking a Cincinnati team that jumped out to an early division lead, the Cubs were on the brink of a sweep that would feel truly catastrophic for the Reds.
—Levi Weaver, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Many popular landscape shrubs grow a foot or two a year, quickly overtaking everything around them.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2026
And besides, Apple still has the largest share of the smartphone market worldwide, with only Samsung realistically capable of overtaking it any time soon.
—Dominic Preston, The Verge, 25 Apr. 2026
Solar, wind and other renewables made up 34% of global electricity generation in 2025, overtaking coal’s 33% share for the first time since 1919, when demand was a tiny fraction of current levels, according to the report.
—Eamon Farhat, Bloomberg, 21 Apr. 2026
Although some sod was recently laid, the rest of the park is so neglected that weeds are already overtaking it.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
EVs now make up almost 40% of Vietnam’s car sales, overtaking the EU average, according to energy think tank Ember.
—Angelica Ang, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
The Stars were close to overtaking the Avalanche last month before a late fade.
—Dave Campbell, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2026
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Already overtaking a Cincinnati team that jumped out to an early division lead, the Cubs were on the brink of a sweep that would feel truly catastrophic for the Reds.
—Levi Weaver, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Many popular landscape shrubs grow a foot or two a year, quickly overtaking everything around them.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2026
And besides, Apple still has the largest share of the smartphone market worldwide, with only Samsung realistically capable of overtaking it any time soon.
—Dominic Preston, The Verge, 25 Apr. 2026
Solar, wind and other renewables made up 34% of global electricity generation in 2025, overtaking coal’s 33% share for the first time since 1919, when demand was a tiny fraction of current levels, according to the report.
—Eamon Farhat, Bloomberg, 21 Apr. 2026
Although some sod was recently laid, the rest of the park is so neglected that weeds are already overtaking it.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
EVs now make up almost 40% of Vietnam’s car sales, overtaking the EU average, according to energy think tank Ember.
—Angelica Ang, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
The Stars were close to overtaking the Avalanche last month before a late fade.
—Dave Campbell, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtaking
Verb
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Abdoler echoed that, noting there is a much higher risk of catching other kinds of viruses, like influenza, while sailing.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
11 May 2026
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Investigators worked to find and bring Austin into custody, catching a break by digging into his social media accounts.—
Matthew Ablon,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Dream big, but don’t ignore practical details while chasing inspiration.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
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West Ham looked to have breathed life back into their season in recent weeks, but last weekend’s loss comes at the worst time before facing title-chasing Arsenal on Sunday.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Santa Margarita’s boys medley relay featured Sam Zhou, Taylor Thongintra and Darren Nguyen before reaching Korner.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
10 May 2026
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Furthermore, the Chinese company behind the system has already begun moving toward commercialization, with its earlier Hanyuan-1 model reaching an important milestone in November last year after winning its first contracts from customers in both China and overseas markets.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overtaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtaking. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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