as in exceeding
to be greater, better, or stronger than
a manager whose arrogance was overtopped only by his ineptitude
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Recent Examples of overtopping
Additional steps to prevent the water from overtopping the dam.
—
Paula Wethington, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
The 75-year-old levee had multiple failures in recent days, from seepage and water overtopping it to a partial collapse at one home, county officials said.
—Steven Rosenfeld, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
The most common reason levees fail is overtopping, when water from a river, stream or lake behind the levee flows over the top.
—Farshid Vahedifard, The Conversation, 29 Dec. 2025
That fateful day, the dam collapsed, releasing a torrent of floodwater that swallowed thousands of homes in the area, ripping some off their foundations while leaving others severely damaged, and overtopping the Sanford Dam.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
Paula Wethington, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
The 75-year-old levee had multiple failures in recent days, from seepage and water overtopping it to a partial collapse at one home, county officials said.
—Steven Rosenfeld, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
The most common reason levees fail is overtopping, when water from a river, stream or lake behind the levee flows over the top.
—Farshid Vahedifard, The Conversation, 29 Dec. 2025
That fateful day, the dam collapsed, releasing a torrent of floodwater that swallowed thousands of homes in the area, ripping some off their foundations while leaving others severely damaged, and overtopping the Sanford Dam.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtopping
Verb
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The foundry division recorded a loss exceeding $10 billion in the last quarter.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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That’s because the new fee study found that Encinitas is already exceeding its goal of setting aside 3% of its land for park areas, Councilmember Joy Lyndes said.—
Barbara Henry,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2026
Verb
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As a result, the Drought Severity and Coverage Index has reached 206, its highest point since 2012, surpassing a summer-to-autumn drought in 2023, Gerard wrote.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
24 May 2026
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Vesia is now one of the veteran leaders in a Dodgers bullpen that set a franchise record Saturday with 36 consecutive scoreless innings, surpassing the mark of 33 set in 1998.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
Verb
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Go for an ethereal look by swirling pale shades of purple, blue, pink, and white, and topping it all off with an icy white chrome.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
23 May 2026
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In April, the company reported its seventh-straight quarter of sales growth topping 60%.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
22 May 2026
Verb
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The performance from Alex Vesia, Kyle Hurt, Tanner Scott and Jonathan Hernández extended the bullpen’s scoreless streak to 36 consecutive innings, eclipsing the Dodgers’ previous record of 33 innings in 1998.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
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In just a matter of days, the CJP has garnered more than 20 million followers on Instagram—eclipsing those of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress, India’s biggest political entities.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overtopping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtopping. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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