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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
  • In published updates, the company has attributed service restrictions and pricing changes to demand exceeding capacity, and outlined investments intended to reduce the backlog.
    — Matthew Tan, CNBC, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Measuring 220 feet long, 131 feet wide and 75 feet high, the platform resembles a large airship and is designed to carry an effective airborne payload exceeding 2,200 pounds, Chinese media reported.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of exceeding
Verb
  • Political advertising surged in Georgia during the 2026 midterms, surpassing the presidential election just two years ago, Savannah Sicurella reports.
    — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 10 Nov. 2026
  • The years following were marked by major milestones, including going public, surpassing $1 billion in revenue, and beefing up its store count.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of surpassing
Verb
  • For 37-year-old Brown, that success included another Grammy win, chart-topping hits and a stadium tour — his first.
    — DeAsia Paige, AJC.com, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The resulting hybrid powertrain pumps out a very impressive 907 horses, significantly more than the 631 hp produced by even the range-topping Huracán models, the Performante and EVO.
    — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of topping
Verb
  • More than 98 percent of lots sold within or above their pre-sale estimates, with 40 percent eclipsing their high estimates.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 10 Nov. 2026
  • The department’s interactive police activity dashboard said 25 vehicles have been reported so far this year, eclipsing the seven vehicles reported stolen in all of 2025.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 10 Nov. 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 13 Nov. 2026.

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