overtopping

verb

present participle of overtop
as in exceeding
to be greater, better, or stronger than a manager whose arrogance was overtopped only by his ineptitude

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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 overtopping Additional steps to prevent the water from overtopping the dam. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026 The 75-year-old levee had multiple failures in recent days, from seepage and water overtopping it to a partial collapse at one home, county officials said. — Steven Rosenfeld, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026 The most common reason levees fail is overtopping, when water from a river, stream or lake behind the levee flows over the top. — Farshid Vahedifard, The Conversation, 29 Dec. 2025 That fateful day, the dam collapsed, releasing a torrent of floodwater that swallowed thousands of homes in the area, ripping some off their foundations while leaving others severely damaged, and overtopping the Sanford Dam. — Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtopping
  1. exceeding
  2. surpassing
  3. topping
  4. eclipsing
Verb
  • Denker said that 288,000 free tickets were requested through a lottery system — exceeding the 130,000 spectators whom organizers plan to host on each of the event's two days.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Paramount Skydance raised its full-year profit guidance, after exceeding Wall Street expectations for revenue and reported gains in its streaming unit.
    — Justina Lee, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of exceeding
Verb
  • The Timber Fire in California's Big Sur continued to grow Thursday, surpassing 4,000 acres as crews worked overnight to increase containment, helped by weather conditions.
    — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • As the Timber Fire continued to grow Wednesday, surpassing 3,500 acres and with only 5% contained, many tourist attractions along the Big Sur coast remained under evacuation orders or were closed to the public.
    — Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of surpassing
Verb
  • Though their days of topping the charts may be past them, Friday night proved that their classics will live forever.
    — Rashad Alexander August 8, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The company also reported a solid quarter after the bell, with adjusted earnings per share of 52 cents topping estimates of 45 cents, per LSEG, and $772 million in revenue beating estimates of $758 million.
    — Michelle Fox, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of topping
Verb
  • Oscar Health Health insurer Oscar Health swung to a $361 million second quarter profit while eclipsing $1 billion in net income for the first six months of the year as health plan membership rose and medical costs eased.
    — Bruce Japsen, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • With all the attention expected to be placed on all 6 feet 5 and 350 pounds of Dexter Lawrence eclipsing the center, the uncertainty around what all these edges will be doing could produce a much higher percentage of one-on-one opportunities.
    — Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of eclipsing

Browse Nearby Words

overtopped
overtopping
overtops
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Cite this Entry

“Overtopping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtopping. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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