as in catching
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 overtaking
Many popular landscape shrubs grow a foot or two a year, quickly overtaking everything around them.
—
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2026
And besides, Apple still has the largest share of the smartphone market worldwide, with only Samsung realistically capable of overtaking it any time soon.
—Dominic Preston, The Verge, 25 Apr. 2026
Although some sod was recently laid, the rest of the park is so neglected that weeds are already overtaking it.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
EVs now make up almost 40% of Vietnam’s car sales, overtaking the EU average, according to energy think tank Ember.
—Angelica Ang, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
The Stars were close to overtaking the Avalanche last month before a late fade.
—Dave Campbell, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2026
Proper planning and maintenance prevent these plants from overtaking and becoming invasive.
—Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 12 Apr. 2026
Consider, too, the new, favorite analytic stat of big plays that’s overtaking turnovers in some circles as the best predictor of wins and losses.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
Traffic is overtaking the collision by using the right shoulder.
—Hedija Spahalic, Dallas Morning News, 7 Apr. 2026
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2026
And besides, Apple still has the largest share of the smartphone market worldwide, with only Samsung realistically capable of overtaking it any time soon.
—Dominic Preston, The Verge, 25 Apr. 2026
Although some sod was recently laid, the rest of the park is so neglected that weeds are already overtaking it.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
EVs now make up almost 40% of Vietnam’s car sales, overtaking the EU average, according to energy think tank Ember.
—Angelica Ang, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
The Stars were close to overtaking the Avalanche last month before a late fade.
—Dave Campbell, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2026
Proper planning and maintenance prevent these plants from overtaking and becoming invasive.
—Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 12 Apr. 2026
Consider, too, the new, favorite analytic stat of big plays that’s overtaking turnovers in some circles as the best predictor of wins and losses.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
Traffic is overtaking the collision by using the right shoulder.
—Hedija Spahalic, Dallas Morning News, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtaking
Verb
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The Chicago White Sox have been searching for offensive production from the catching position.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Sophomore Nate Roberts is a 6-5, 240-pounder who has blocking experience and showed off versatility catching passes in the spring.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Bain excels in a few other areas that happen to be vital for those chasing QBs for a living.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Producer Lindsay Doran has pretty much been chasing it ever since and finally got the film version made.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sunday, May 3 Manchester United vs Liverpool The Premier League season is reaching its conclusion, and away from the title race between Arsenal and Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool will contest the pick of the weekend’s games.—
The Athletic Live Team,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) has detected ultra-powerful gamma rays—reaching energies of about one quadrillion electron volts (PeV)—coming from a seemingly ordinary stellar remnant.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overtaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtaking. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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