outstrip
Americanverb (used with object)
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to outdo; surpass; excel.
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to outdo or pass in running or swift travel.
A car can outstrip the local train.
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to get ahead of or leave behind in a race or in any course of competition.
-
to exceed.
a demand that outstrips the supply.
verb
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to surpass in a sphere of activity, competition, etc
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to be or grow greater than
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to go faster than and leave behind
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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outstripsimple
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outstripssimple
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have outstrippedperfect
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has outstrippedperfect
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am outstrippingprogressive
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are outstrippingprogressive
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is outstrippingprogressive
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have been outstrippingperfect progressive
-
has been outstrippingperfect progressive
Past
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outstrippedsimple
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had outstrippedperfect
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was outstrippingprogressive
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were outstrippingprogressive
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had been outstrippingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of outstrip
Explanation
While outstrip might make you think about undressing, it really means outdoing. If the productivity of your garden outstrips your neighbor's, expect the neighborhood to come calling for fresh vegetables. If one thing outstrips another, it exceeds it or goes beyond it. When you outstrip someone during a race, you pass them. When one company’s profits outstrip another’s, they make more money. When the productivity of one nation outstrips the neighboring nation, they will have a bigger Gross National Product.
Vocabulary lists containing outstrip
Flowers for Algernon
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Grendel
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Sapiens
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
England have had many memorable games in the past six decades - but winning this match would outstrip them all and offer the chance for a historic triumph in Sunday's World Cup final against Spain.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Samsung's latest forecast, released on Tuesday ahead of its full results due later in July, comes as demand for semiconductors continues to outstrip supplies - which has pushed up prices.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
“The legal process for an appeal would likely outstrip that time frame. In the interim, we expect work on the Section 301 probes to accelerate,” he added.
From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026
AI both requires and creates more data, and demand for Seagate’s storage solutions continues to outstrip supply.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
Ernest did not object, now that the tube’s capacity to generate research funds appeared to outstrip that of the cyclotron.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
"In my experience, Jannik the person outstrips Jannik the athlete. It is his simple manner, his sincerity, his openness and his direct connection with people."
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
At Indeed, Stahle sees an “elevated” chance that the cost of living outstrips pay raises in the coming months.
From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026
He calculates that “the net present value of these ongoing losses outstrips the one-time revenue projected by the initiative’s proponents effects.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
For now, he said, the potential reward still outstrips the risk of the tanker being seized.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
I have imagined him afraid many times, but the reality outstrips those imaginings.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Since 2000, price increases have outstripped underlying income.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
"But in 2026, it is now the largest diaspora community within Australia. It has outstripped the British, which is a huge demographic change," she told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
With tourism directly contributing 13% of Spain's GDP, the industry has been a crucial component in the country's growth of recent years, which has outstripped that of France, Germany, Italy and the UK.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
Foreign orders outstripped domestic ones, though both posted growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
One reason was the increasing power and efficiency of the Berkeley cyclotron, which then outstripped those of every other cyclotron in existence.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
“We’re at a moment in time where the demands for the provision of financing are outstripping what we think is the appropriate quantum,” Solomon says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
The offering is yet another reflection that the artificial-intelligence ambitions of Big Tech are outstripping their substantial operating cash flows, forcing them to tap debt and equity markets.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
Just after she graduated in 2016, her debt was £34,105 - but her latest balance statement shows it's now £41,908 because the interest accumulating is outstripping her repayments.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
Luna’s campaign spent about $515,000 from April 19 to May 16, far outstripping those of his challengers, records show.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
Meanwhile, Woods told me, the city began outstripping its water supply, a “somewhat wimpy” tributary called Canteen Creek.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
