as in exceeded
to be greater, better, or stronger than
a manager whose arrogance was overtopped only by his ineptitude
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Recent Examples of overtopped
The existing levee was just an inch or two away from being overtopped by floodwaters earlier this month, according to Orting’s mayor, Joshua Penner.
—
Evan Bush, NBC news, 21 Dec. 2025
Both rivers have overtopped their banks, affecting residential areas, farmland, and roadways, though gradual declines are expected through Friday and into the weekend.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Seawalls were overtopped in sections along Fort Lauderdale’s Riverwalk.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
In 1941, a huge wave caused by a snow and ice avalanche that fell into Laguna Palcacocha, a glacial lake in the Peruvian Andes, overtopped the moraine dam that had contained the lake for decades.
—Suzanne Oconnell, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2025
Because the flooding has been a growing concern for Juneau over the past several years, city officials with federal assistance installed emergency flood barriers along several miles of riverbanks in the areas deemed most at risk for being overtopped.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025
Evan Bush, NBC news, 21 Dec. 2025
Both rivers have overtopped their banks, affecting residential areas, farmland, and roadways, though gradual declines are expected through Friday and into the weekend.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Seawalls were overtopped in sections along Fort Lauderdale’s Riverwalk.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
In 1941, a huge wave caused by a snow and ice avalanche that fell into Laguna Palcacocha, a glacial lake in the Peruvian Andes, overtopped the moraine dam that had contained the lake for decades.
—Suzanne Oconnell, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2025
Because the flooding has been a growing concern for Juneau over the past several years, city officials with federal assistance installed emergency flood barriers along several miles of riverbanks in the areas deemed most at risk for being overtopped.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtopped
Verb
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While the scale of violence exceeded expectations, the belief that international support was imminent undeniably emboldened many protesters.—
Pegah Banihashemi,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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For the first time, in 2025, the demand for non-American, non-Western, non-English-language content exceeded 50 percent of the global revenue pie.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The initial target of $50,000 has long been surpassed, with the total now sitting at $60,000.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
However, Qualcomm surpassed earnings and revenue expectations for the fiscal first quarter.—
Jason Gewirtz,
CNBC,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The album topped the Billboard 200 chart for four weeks and spawned five top 10 hits on the Hot Latin Songs chart.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
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Boys basketball In nonleague play, Donavan Wright put in 20 points as Boston Latin topped Somerville 53-41.—
Kristina Banahan,
Boston Herald,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The race ran so long Fox had to bump it to the lower-tier FS2 channel; the event eclipsed the three-hour window to run 50 miles.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
15 Feb. 2026
-
China eclipsed Japan as the world’s largest exporter of vehicles in 2023.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overtopped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtopped. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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