overtop
Americanverb (used with object)
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to rise over or above the top of.
a skyscraper that overtops all the other buildings.
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to rise above in authority; take precedence over; override.
No individual shall overtop the law.
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to surpass or excel.
a rise in sales that overtopped everyone in the industry.
noun
verb
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to exceed in height
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to surpass; excel
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to rise over the top of
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overtopsimple
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overtopssimple
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have overtoppedperfect
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has overtoppedperfect
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am overtoppingprogressive
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are overtoppingprogressive
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is overtoppingprogressive
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have been overtoppingperfect progressive
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has been overtoppingperfect progressive
Past
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overtoppedsimple
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had overtoppedperfect
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was overtoppingprogressive
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were overtoppingprogressive
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had been overtoppingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overtop
Vocabulary lists containing overtop
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.
When meltwaters reach a certain level, they can overtop a glacier that previously held them back.
From BBC • Aug. 13, 2025
The reservoir behind the dam rose to within 1 foot of the dam’s maximum storage capacity, prompting warnings that water could overtop the dam and worsen already-dangerous conditions downstream, or damage the dam.
From Scientific American • Jul. 13, 2023
Officials say the Merced River could reach 12.6 feet by mid-week and overtop Pohono Bridge, an iconic stone crossing in Yosemite Valley.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2023
Making matters worse: Communities have been built on those floodplains, so when rivers overtop their banks, the water goes into people’s houses rather than replenishing wetland habitats and slowly sinking into the soil.
From Washington Post • Jan. 10, 2023
A small fire with a metal grate slid overtop where they were cooking beans in a tin pot.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
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.
