as in caught
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 overtook
The 33-year-old only overtook Yogi Berra for home runs on Tuesday, disrupting a top five of Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Berra which had stood since 1966.
—
Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
California overtook Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy this year.
—Ella Malmgren, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
When Wilson overtook Flynn as Seattle's starting quarterback in 2012, Flynn had just signed a three-year, $26 million contract.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Republicans overtook Democrats on Thursday in total ballots cast, wiping out the early Democratic advantage in mail-in ballots after three days of GOP-heavy early voting.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
Every touchpoint is a love letter to his home of Puerto Rico, even including the bathrooms, which Method overtook as art, with products to boot.
—Samantha Leal, StyleCaster, 2 Sep. 2025
The Brewers overtook the Cubs for first place in the division on July 20 and have amassed a 26-14 record since then to build their five-game lead.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
When the Kentucky River in April surged over its banks in Frankfort amid heavy rainfall, its waters quickly overtook an area of subsidized housing known as Walter Todd.
—Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 29 Aug. 2025
Levee failures left New Orleans underwater One of the defining catastrophic failures that defined the devastation of Hurricane Katrina came when the storm overtook the city’s inadequate system of levees and floodwalls.
—Avalon Hester, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
California overtook Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy this year.
—Ella Malmgren, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
When Wilson overtook Flynn as Seattle's starting quarterback in 2012, Flynn had just signed a three-year, $26 million contract.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Republicans overtook Democrats on Thursday in total ballots cast, wiping out the early Democratic advantage in mail-in ballots after three days of GOP-heavy early voting.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
Every touchpoint is a love letter to his home of Puerto Rico, even including the bathrooms, which Method overtook as art, with products to boot.
—Samantha Leal, StyleCaster, 2 Sep. 2025
The Brewers overtook the Cubs for first place in the division on July 20 and have amassed a 26-14 record since then to build their five-game lead.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
When the Kentucky River in April surged over its banks in Frankfort amid heavy rainfall, its waters quickly overtook an area of subsidized housing known as Walter Todd.
—Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 29 Aug. 2025
Levee failures left New Orleans underwater One of the defining catastrophic failures that defined the devastation of Hurricane Katrina came when the storm overtook the city’s inadequate system of levees and floodwalls.
—Avalon Hester, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtook
Verb
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Of those three, Turner was the only one to finish the season without being caught.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
17 Sep. 2025
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French university Sciences Po threatened expulsion for students caught using the technology.—
Melody Brue,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss chased him and dragged him down from behind, landing on McCarthy’s ankle.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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Free Cash Flow Fuels Dividends and Buybacks Veteran investors might remember past gold bull markets where companies, flush with cash, chased growth at any cost.—
Frank Holmes,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Heading into 2025-26, nine players from Henrique’s 2008 draft class have reached 1,000 games.—
Carol Schram,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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Luis Matos, pinch-hitting for Drew Gilbert, reached base to start the inning when Betts made a throwing error.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overtook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtook. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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