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:
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 organization said it expects oil supply growth to far outstrip demand growth next year if the peace deal holds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
When a company goes public in a highly anticipated listing, investor demand can outstrip the initial supply of shares.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 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
Dustfinger hurried on ahead as if trying to outstrip his own shadow.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
"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
You travel, golf, volunteer — yet thanks to the power of compound interest, your portfolio growth rate outstrips your spending, so you end up with more at age 90 than you started with at 65.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
So long as Nvidia continues to use all three suppliers and memory demand outstrips overall supply, Micron should resume its rally.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 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
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
Demand for apprenticeships it offers has far outstripped supply in recent years, but often interest has been strongest among people making mid-career shifts, he noted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
The growth in points has outstripped the rise in the winning margin as well.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
Speeding down this fast lane, Homo sapiens soon far outstripped all other human and animal species in its ability to cooperate.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Anything faster would signal inflation is more persistent, and demand outstripping supply.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 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
For the first time in three years, inflation is outstripping growth in Americans’ paychecks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 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.
