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

Platform engineering is overtaking DevOps as the term cloud native people use to describe themselves. —Justin Warren, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024

In 2022, China was overtaken by India as the world's most populous nation. —Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 7 Nov. 2024

The result was called after the AP determined that the remaining uncounted votes mostly from the greater Milwaukee area would not be enough for Harris to overtake Trump. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024

As one research analyst told Reuters, Palantir’s commercial business will likely overtake its government business as corporations step on the gas around AI software. —Chris Morris, Fortune, 5 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