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
Republicans overtook Democrats on Thursday in total ballots cast, wiping out the early Democratic advantage in mail-in ballots after three days of GOP-heavy early voting.
—
Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
When the pandemic overtook the world, the Fed was forced to cut interest rates.
—Vipin Bharathan, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Every touchpoint is a love letter to his home of Puerto Rico, even including the bathrooms, which Method overtook as art, with products to boot.
—Samantha Leal, StyleCaster, 2 Sep. 2025
The Brewers overtook the Cubs for first place in the division on July 20 and have amassed a 26-14 record since then to build their five-game lead.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
When the Kentucky River in April surged over its banks in Frankfort amid heavy rainfall, its waters quickly overtook an area of subsidized housing known as Walter Todd.
—Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 29 Aug. 2025
Levee failures left New Orleans underwater One of the defining catastrophic failures that defined the devastation of Hurricane Katrina came when the storm overtook the city’s inadequate system of levees and floodwalls.
—Avalon Hester, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The sales decline in China — which hosts nearly half of the company's global stores — signals a sharp downturn compared with a jump of 47% in sales in fiscal year 2024, when China overtook Canada as the company's biggest market.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2025
During the week there, the sequel surpassed the lifetime of Trolls and this weekend overtook Elemental.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2025
Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
When the pandemic overtook the world, the Fed was forced to cut interest rates.
—Vipin Bharathan, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Every touchpoint is a love letter to his home of Puerto Rico, even including the bathrooms, which Method overtook as art, with products to boot.
—Samantha Leal, StyleCaster, 2 Sep. 2025
The Brewers overtook the Cubs for first place in the division on July 20 and have amassed a 26-14 record since then to build their five-game lead.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
When the Kentucky River in April surged over its banks in Frankfort amid heavy rainfall, its waters quickly overtook an area of subsidized housing known as Walter Todd.
—Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 29 Aug. 2025
Levee failures left New Orleans underwater One of the defining catastrophic failures that defined the devastation of Hurricane Katrina came when the storm overtook the city’s inadequate system of levees and floodwalls.
—Avalon Hester, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The sales decline in China — which hosts nearly half of the company's global stores — signals a sharp downturn compared with a jump of 47% in sales in fiscal year 2024, when China overtook Canada as the company's biggest market.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2025
During the week there, the sequel surpassed the lifetime of Trolls and this weekend overtook Elemental.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtook
Verb
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Kirk’s zeal caught the attention of Bill Montgomery, a businessman and Tea Party activist, who urged him to forgo college and dedicate himself fully to political organizing.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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Since 1986, employers have required to verify workers' eligibility to work, and can be fined or jailed if caught knowingly breaking the law.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Bergert was chased early as the Royals lost 10-2 to the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
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An interesting take because for the most part, the USA chased the game, particularly in the first half.—
Michael Lewis,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Heading into 2025-26, nine players from Henrique’s 2008 draft class have reached 1,000 games.—
Carol Schram,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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Luis Matos, pinch-hitting for Drew Gilbert, reached base to start the inning when Betts made a throwing error.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overtook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtook. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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