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
The reality of the twins’ situation overtook her life in every way, Alisha describes.
—
Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
When Wilson overtook Flynn as Seattle's starting quarterback in 2012, Flynn had just signed a three-year, $26 million contract.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Moments later, the roof collapsed and floodwaters overtook the home.
—Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2025
Even after pitting for medium tires, the four-time world champion led the race by a significant margin ahead of George Russell, who overtook Sainz for P2.
—Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
Sure, the annual gathering of the genre overtook Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the first time this past week.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2025
China is the second-biggest R&D spender in the world, according to the report and even overtook long-time leading nation Switzerland for the indicator Knowledge and Technology Outputs.
—Katharina Buchholz, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The flooding, which overtook storm sewers and left streets under water, left families across the area facing major losses.
—Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 17 Sep. 2025
The 33-year-old only overtook Yogi Berra for home runs on Tuesday, disrupting a top five of Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Berra which had stood since 1966.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
When Wilson overtook Flynn as Seattle's starting quarterback in 2012, Flynn had just signed a three-year, $26 million contract.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Moments later, the roof collapsed and floodwaters overtook the home.
—Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2025
Even after pitting for medium tires, the four-time world champion led the race by a significant margin ahead of George Russell, who overtook Sainz for P2.
—Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
Sure, the annual gathering of the genre overtook Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the first time this past week.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2025
China is the second-biggest R&D spender in the world, according to the report and even overtook long-time leading nation Switzerland for the indicator Knowledge and Technology Outputs.
—Katharina Buchholz, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The flooding, which overtook storm sewers and left streets under water, left families across the area facing major losses.
—Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 17 Sep. 2025
The 33-year-old only overtook Yogi Berra for home runs on Tuesday, disrupting a top five of Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Berra which had stood since 1966.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtook
Verb
-
The deal has caught the eye of equity analyst Jonathan Hurn.—
Tasmin Lockwood,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
-
According to authorities Gibson allowed his large dogs to roam freely in the neighborhood and a neighbor’s ring camera caught footage moments after the alleged atatck.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Security guards quickly chased after the man while Ne-Yo continued his performance.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
29 Sep. 2025
-
The former chased the latter all afternoon and generated the plotline everyone on the terraces came for.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Varland reached back for the second-hardest pitch of his career, striking out Giancarlo Stanton with 101 mph to hold the lead.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Iran reportedly executed six prisoners Saturday who the regime claimed carried out deadly attacks in the country’s oil-rich southwest on behalf of Israel, marking the latest surge in executions that rights groups say have reached levels unseen in decades.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overtook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtook. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share