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
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Recent Examples of overtook
And with no buffalo for food, unregulated hunting of everything else overtook the rest of the wild game.
—
Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026
Apple overtook Samsung as the world's top smartphone seller in 2024, ending its roughly 12-year run atop the market.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2026
Steph Curry's family film GOAT overtook Wuthering Heights at the weekend's domestic box office.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Feb. 2026
In Beijing, Sweden overtook Great Britain for the gold while Canada took bronze.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 21 Feb. 2026
A number of conservative commentators, including Roger Kimball, Peter Wood, and Chris Rufo, maintain that political conformity overtook élite institutions of higher learning and turned every seminar room into some radical struggle session where students dutifully read Karl Marx and bell hooks.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
Dreamt up by Handshake, one of Mexico City’s reigning cocktail bars, the mixed drinks were a welcome complement to the food—and though both were assertive in flavor and preparation, neither one overtook the other.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Feb. 2026
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
Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026
Apple overtook Samsung as the world's top smartphone seller in 2024, ending its roughly 12-year run atop the market.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2026
Steph Curry's family film GOAT overtook Wuthering Heights at the weekend's domestic box office.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Feb. 2026
In Beijing, Sweden overtook Great Britain for the gold while Canada took bronze.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 21 Feb. 2026
A number of conservative commentators, including Roger Kimball, Peter Wood, and Chris Rufo, maintain that political conformity overtook élite institutions of higher learning and turned every seminar room into some radical struggle session where students dutifully read Karl Marx and bell hooks.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
Dreamt up by Handshake, one of Mexico City’s reigning cocktail bars, the mixed drinks were a welcome complement to the food—and though both were assertive in flavor and preparation, neither one overtook the other.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtook
Verb
-
The $3 million man caught 56 passes for 708 yards and five touchdowns in his final season at Auburn.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Losing sight of that for even a moment carries a cost that threatens not just the forest and the trees, but the men who can’t see the women caught between them.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Warhawks chased Jesus Tovar, who had allowed one run in his four previous starts, after two-thirds of an inning.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
16 Mar. 2026
-
David, Peter and I offered to help to get closer to the food, but the cooks chased us away within seconds.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Well before the Bellevue shelter reached its current state, people were trying to shut it down.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Downtown Los Angeles reached 94 degrees, beating its previous daily high for March 18 of 87 in 1997.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overtook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtook. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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