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 overtook
Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City overtook the work of those at Carrington.
—
Carl Anka, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Meta cofounder Mark Zuckerberg overtook Bezos as the world’s fourth-richest person Thursday after Meta’s fourth-quarter earnings exceeded Wall Street’s expectations for quarterly revenue.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Sales of all-electric vehicles overtook gasoline-only ones in Europe for the first time in December, boosted by an influx of low-cost Chinese models.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Chicago’s largest airport overtook Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson to become the busiest airfield in the country last year, according to preliminary federal data.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Last week, Google briefly overtook Apple in market value for the first time since 2019.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 Jan. 2026
Among mega-cap stocks, Alphabet overtook Apple as the world’s second-largest company by market value, as investors continued to bet on Google’s leadership in artificial intelligence.
—Benzinga, Freep.com, 10 Jan. 2026
This week, Alphabet’s market capitalization overtook Apple’s for the first time since 2019.
—Pia Singh, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2026
Acuff overtook Isaiah Joe's 13-game run in the 2018-19 season.
—Matt Byrne, Arkansas Online, 6 Jan. 2026
Carl Anka, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Meta cofounder Mark Zuckerberg overtook Bezos as the world’s fourth-richest person Thursday after Meta’s fourth-quarter earnings exceeded Wall Street’s expectations for quarterly revenue.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Sales of all-electric vehicles overtook gasoline-only ones in Europe for the first time in December, boosted by an influx of low-cost Chinese models.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Chicago’s largest airport overtook Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson to become the busiest airfield in the country last year, according to preliminary federal data.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Last week, Google briefly overtook Apple in market value for the first time since 2019.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 Jan. 2026
Among mega-cap stocks, Alphabet overtook Apple as the world’s second-largest company by market value, as investors continued to bet on Google’s leadership in artificial intelligence.
—Benzinga, Freep.com, 10 Jan. 2026
This week, Alphabet’s market capitalization overtook Apple’s for the first time since 2019.
—Pia Singh, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2026
Acuff overtook Isaiah Joe's 13-game run in the 2018-19 season.
—Matt Byrne, Arkansas Online, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtook
Verb
-
In his first playoff game, a thriller against the Los Angeles Rams, McMillan caught five passes for 81 yards, using his connection with quarterback Bryce Young to get the ball downfield.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
One month after the US carried out an attack in Venezuela to capture its president, civilians in the South American country remain caught between uncertainty and expectations of governmental change.—
CNN 9 hr ago,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Then Djokovic chased a forehand and took the swing that had saved him two nights before.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Moore said another resident chased a man driving a white van from the area in the overnight hours.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The plea followed a similar agreement reached months earlier by his brother, Ovidio Guzmán López, on trafficking and money-laundering charges.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification released a new report saying that acute malnutrition has reached famine levels in two more towns in Darfur.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overtook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtook. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
