overtake

verb

over·​take ˌō-vər-ˈtāk 

overtook ˌō-vər-ˈtu̇k  ; overtaken ˌō-vər-ˈtā-kən  ; overtaking

transitive verb

1

a

: to catch up with

b

: to catch up with and pass by

2

: to come upon suddenly

Synonyms

• catch
• catch up (with)
• overhaul

Examples of overtake in a Sentence

She overtook the other runners and went on to win the race.

The sign says “No Overtaking.”

Seasickness can overtake passengers when the ship encounters a storm.

Recent Examples on the Web

Last year, Popeyes overtook KFC as the No. 2 chicken chain in the U.S. Executives said Tuesday that KFC will focus on value in the fourth quarter. —Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024

Harris had been leading Trump in Shapiro's state of Pennsylvania since July, but late last month 538's aggregation of national polls showed that Trump had narrowly overtaken her─though only just. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

Perhaps the Ferrari just didn’t have the pace, as Verstappen eventually overtook Leclerc. —Rob Reed, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Jaden Jefferson let the glee of victory overtake his face as the clock expired. —Benjamin Royer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from over entry 1 + taken to take

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

overtake

verb

over·​take ˌō-vər-ˈtāk 

overtook -ˈtu̇k  ; overtaken -ˈtā-kən  ; overtaking

1

a

: to catch up with

b

: to catch up with and pass by

2

: to come upon suddenly

a blizzard overtook the hunting party