as in to catch
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 overtake
Firefighters killed The fire that forced evacuation of the river rafters and campers claimed the lives of three wildland firefighters and injured two others in Mesa County as flames overtook them.
—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
29 June 2026
And, as of June, the Party’s leader, Pauline Hanson, has overtaken Albanese as the preferred Prime Minister in national polls.
—
Oscar Schwartz,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
Both fires have been overtaken by the Jones and Snyder Mesa blazes that started on the western side of the Colorado-Utah border Saturday and burned their way into Colorado.
—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
28 June 2026
India had to win to overtake South Africa for the last semifinal spot.
—
ABC News,
28 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for overtake
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
29 June 2026
And, as of June, the Party’s leader, Pauline Hanson, has overtaken Albanese as the preferred Prime Minister in national polls.
—
Oscar Schwartz,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
Both fires have been overtaken by the Jones and Snyder Mesa blazes that started on the western side of the Colorado-Utah border Saturday and burned their way into Colorado.
—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
28 June 2026
India had to win to overtake South Africa for the last semifinal spot.
—
ABC News,
28 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for overtake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtake
Verb
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One villager had been bitten and is being treated in hospital, while a dozen locals had formed a team to catch the snakes, the Hongxing report said.
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But the rally ended when Hernández’s liner up the middle landed in the glove of Rockies right-hander Jimmy Herget, who just entered the game, catching Kyle Tucker off first base for a double play.
Verb
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Zach Neto added a two-out RBI single moments later to chase Bennett.
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Chestnut, a 17-time champion, is chasing another Mustard Belt after reclaiming the men’s title in 2025.
Verb
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Buckhead Heritage, a historic preservation organization, will make a historic building its new headquarters after reaching an agreement with Atlanta Public Schools.
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Tehran has paused fragile negotiations with the US aimed at reaching a lasting deal to end their conflict during the multi-day funeral for Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike in February, on the first day of the war.
Cite this Entry
“Overtake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtake. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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