outstrip
Americanverb (used with object)
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outstrips,
present (3rd person singular)
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outstripped,
past participle, past
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outstripping
present participle
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to outdo; surpass; excel.
-
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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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:
But the transition is exposing a new bottleneck: demand for indium phosphide, a material used in laser components, is expected to outstrip supply from 2026, potentially slowing shipments of next-generation products.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
“Said simply, demand across AI infrastructure continues to outstrip available supply,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
Already the pace and scope of Europe’s increases are threatening to outstrip defense contractors’ ability to keep up with demand for sophisticated armaments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 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
Even his agony of terror could not make him swift enough to outstrip the keen-scented pack.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
“Demand far outstrips supply, as we see it today” she says, noting that the price increases for memory may moderate in 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
The company has also been able to raise prices as demand for these chips outstrips supply.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Her compensation as stated in the latest available tax filings outstrips the pay for leaders of much larger nonprofits in the homelessness arena.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
"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
I have imagined him afraid many times, but the reality outstrips those imaginings.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Wilson said blazers and logoed PE kits were among the most requested items, and despite additional purchases and generous donations, demand outstripped supply in some cases.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Demand from retail investors significantly outstripped supply, with over 8,000 times more orders than shares available, it said ahead of its float.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
That changed during the Covid-19 pandemic, when demand to move vehicles outstripped the supply of ships.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
That outstripped the 52 percent who referenced TV news, 51 percent for newspaper apps or websites, and 21 percent for radio.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
They took turns riding Harry’s Nimbus Two Thousand, which was easily the best broom; Ron’s old Shooting Star was often outstripped by passing butterflies.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
In the second, those shocks are masking deeper imbalances: Demand is outstripping supply and letting businesses make price increases stick.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Memory-chip prices grew sharply in the past year, with demand far outstripping supply.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
"We always said we would take action if we felt that model capabilities were outstripping the pace of safety."
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Equally, though, his supporters would point to his personal appeal seemingly outstripping his party, connecting with parts of the region his party cannot reach.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
But the complexity of nuclear physics was rapidly outstripping the capabilities of the laboratory apparatus of small science.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
