as in catches
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overtakes
Pete doesn't get far before the cold overtakes him.
—
Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Sep. 2025
Kyle Schwarber overtakes Shohei Ohtani on the Great Race!
—Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 2025
Authorities want people to leave before seawater overtakes Highway 12, the main road connecting a long string of North Carolina communities.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 19 Aug. 2025
As the beauty cycle continues, Paris Fashion Week overtakes award show season this week, inviting celebrities to the front row for gag-worthy, high fashion moments.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 10 Mar. 2025
Terror overtakes her body; arms flail against a pipe; her legs bang the ground.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 5 Mar. 2025
The increase to 5 percent would mean Lithuania overtakes Poland as the NATO country spending the most on defense as a percentage of its GDP.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 16 Feb. 2025
The extent to which Matthew overtakes the story can be jarring, as that process is diffused across several amusing but increasingly morose asides.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 12 Feb. 2025
Within a few seconds, the smaller aircraft overtakes the larger one and a brilliant flash illuminates the night sky hundreds of feet above the Potomac River.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2025
Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Sep. 2025
Kyle Schwarber overtakes Shohei Ohtani on the Great Race!
—Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 2025
Authorities want people to leave before seawater overtakes Highway 12, the main road connecting a long string of North Carolina communities.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 19 Aug. 2025
As the beauty cycle continues, Paris Fashion Week overtakes award show season this week, inviting celebrities to the front row for gag-worthy, high fashion moments.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 10 Mar. 2025
Terror overtakes her body; arms flail against a pipe; her legs bang the ground.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 5 Mar. 2025
The increase to 5 percent would mean Lithuania overtakes Poland as the NATO country spending the most on defense as a percentage of its GDP.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 16 Feb. 2025
The extent to which Matthew overtakes the story can be jarring, as that process is diffused across several amusing but increasingly morose asides.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 12 Feb. 2025
Within a few seconds, the smaller aircraft overtakes the larger one and a brilliant flash illuminates the night sky hundreds of feet above the Potomac River.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtakes
Verb
-
Alphonse Pierre’s Off the Dome column covers songs, mixtapes, albums, scenes, snippets, movies, Meek Mill tweets, fashion trends—and anything else that catches his attention.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
11 Sep. 2025
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The center beam shows color and detail clearly, while the outer glow only catches movement.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Advertisement Cherry, freed from police custody, shows up at the house, and Laura chases her up and down the stairs with a knife.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
-
For example, much of the industry chases bragging rights on public benchmarks, which rank models on tasks like math or logic puzzles.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Instead of a wild celebration, Cleveland’s losing streak, which dates back to last December, reaches seven.—
Zac Jackson,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Once the band reaches your chest, slowly reverse the direction, keeping your elbows straight.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overtakes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtakes. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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