1
as in thwarting
to get the better of through cleverness
a real estate developer who is always trying to overreach his competitors, fair means or foul
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in exceeding
to go beyond the limit of
the mountain climbers overreached their abilities and paid for it dearly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overreaching
Elected in 2012 amid the Tea Party movement, Massie has been a consistent critic of an overreaching federal government, of budget deficits and foreign interventionism.
—
The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 22 Oct. 2025
Chicago is either a war zone quickly spiraling out of control, or a peaceful city under siege by an overreaching federal government.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Starmer, along with members of his Labour government, has argued that education should be prioritized instead of overreaching government mandates.
—Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Supporters hailed it as a safeguard against catastrophic risks; critics blasted it as overreaching and impossible to enforce at AI’s pace.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2025
The motion was withdrawn after a significant public and judicial backlash, an episode that solidified her image as a guardian of institutional integrity against an overreaching executive.
—Sugam Pokharel, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
Early Americans thus saw jury service not merely as a procedural safeguard against overreaching government authority, but as a way to distribute the power granted by the Constitution, ensuring that ordinary citizens played an important role.
—Richard Lorren Jolly, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
The rescission process under the Impoundment Control Act was created in response to an overreaching executive branch in the 1970s, and it should be used today to keep the spending power in Congress.
—The Editors, National Review, 10 Mar. 2025
Setting aside the fact that this order may deny care to adults, who are free to make their own health care decisions, this overreaching executive order substitutes the president’s misinformed view for that of every medical association in America.
—Edwin C. Yohnka, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2025
The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 22 Oct. 2025
Chicago is either a war zone quickly spiraling out of control, or a peaceful city under siege by an overreaching federal government.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Starmer, along with members of his Labour government, has argued that education should be prioritized instead of overreaching government mandates.
—Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Supporters hailed it as a safeguard against catastrophic risks; critics blasted it as overreaching and impossible to enforce at AI’s pace.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2025
The motion was withdrawn after a significant public and judicial backlash, an episode that solidified her image as a guardian of institutional integrity against an overreaching executive.
—Sugam Pokharel, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
Early Americans thus saw jury service not merely as a procedural safeguard against overreaching government authority, but as a way to distribute the power granted by the Constitution, ensuring that ordinary citizens played an important role.
—Richard Lorren Jolly, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
The rescission process under the Impoundment Control Act was created in response to an overreaching executive branch in the 1970s, and it should be used today to keep the spending power in Congress.
—The Editors, National Review, 10 Mar. 2025
Setting aside the fact that this order may deny care to adults, who are free to make their own health care decisions, this overreaching executive order substitutes the president’s misinformed view for that of every medical association in America.
—Edwin C. Yohnka, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreaching
Verb
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Federico Gatti was also excellent in thwarting Madrid’s attacks.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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This doomsday mentality drives the Zizians to ideological violence under the banner of thwarting the threat of AI.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Two Milwaukee Democrats want to install technology in repeat reckless drivers' cars to prevent them from exceeding speed limits, similar to breathalyzer devices for OWI offenders.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
23 Oct. 2025
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The complaint refers to offers exceeding $100,000 related to licensing and promotion of trading cards for Brown, who is a junior.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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To begin with, looks that are deceiving.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
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That’s 14 years of dreaming, dissolving, romanticizing, escaping, and sometimes deceiving ourselves.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Gold has seen historic gains in 2025, its more-than-50% surge surpassing previous volatile periods such as after the September 11 attacks, the 2008 financial crisis or even the Covid-19 pandemic.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
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Even as Westward was forced to file for Chapter 11, the distillery’s sales continued to grow by 53 percent through the end of September (compared to the same period last year), surpassing total sales for 2024.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Behind Wemby's strong contributions, the Spurs also won their first three games, defeating the Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, and New Orleans Pelicans.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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But then, in the second group phase — consisting of four groups of three, in the first 24-team World Cup — Italy exploded into life despite a very tough draw, defeating holders Argentina and favourites Brazil.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Relay is a smart, small-scale espionage film focused on operatives outmaneuvering one another.—
Scott Phillips,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Penix and London, along with Bijan Robinson, have been heavily involved in Atlanta's offense this season, so regardless of who the opponent is missing, overcoming the loss of your starting quarterback and leading pass catcher will be a tough task.—
Cameron Belcher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
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But there's also a lot of stories of people overcoming a lot of obstacles, and that's synonymous with what Kayla has done.—
Victoria Moorwood,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Time and Numbers—there’s no outwitting them.—
Joy Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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Ben Shapiro, Pete Buttigieg, Michael Knowles, Alex O’Connor—these are professional debaters capable of outwitting and outreasoning almost any audience member unfamiliar with traditional debate techniques, regardless of the topic or claim being considered.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overreaching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreaching. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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