as in exceeding
to be greater, better, or stronger than
a manager whose arrogance was overtopped only by his ineptitude
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Recent Examples of overtopping
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
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
Verb
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Anta’s per share offer price isn’t known, and Artémis reportedly expected bids exceeding 40 euros per share.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
8 Jan. 2026
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That ruling, which was recently overturned by an appellate court, stood in stark contrast to the will of Tesla’s shareholders, who have now affirmed the substance of the 2018 CEO Performance Award on three separate occasions, each with support exceeding 75% of votes cast.—
Shane Goodwin,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That measure passed overwhelmingly, by a 2-to-1 majority, easily surpassing that of the original initiative.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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Pomegranates have reached super stature and have been dubbed the new super fruit, surpassing blueberries as the antioxidant of choice for heart health.—
Mary Ann Esposito,
Boston Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Consider boosting your fiber further by topping your oats with additional high-fiber options, such as your favorite high-fiber fruit.—
Regina Windsor,
Verywell Health,
8 Jan. 2026
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Unsurprisingly, topping the list of nominees is Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, with nine nods, closely followed by Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value with eight, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners with seven, and Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet with six.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Revenues are at record highs, eclipsing $12 billion in 2024.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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On Monday, the CDC reported an additional death of a child last season, bringing the total to 289, eclipsing even the number of pediatric deaths from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.—
Erika Edwards,
NBC news,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overtopping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtopping. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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