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Synonyms

overreach

American

[oh-ver-reech] / ˌoʊ vərˈritʃ /

verb (used with object)

to reach or extend over or beyond.

The shelf overreached the nook and had to be planed down.
to go beyond, as a thing aimed at or sought.

an arrow that had overreached the target.
to stretch to excess, as by a straining effort.

to overreach one's arm and strain a muscle.
to defeat (oneself ) by overdoing matters, often by excessive eagerness or cunning.

In trying to promote disunity he had overreached himself.
to strain or exert (oneself or itself ) to the point of exceeding the purpose.
to get the better of, especially by deceit or trickery; outwit.

Every time you deal with them you wonder if they're overreaching you.
to overtake.
Obsolete. to overpower.

verb (used without object)

to reach or extend over something.
to reach too far.

In grabbing for the rope he overreached and fell.
to cheat others.
(of a running or walking horse) to strike, or strike and injure, the forefoot with the hind foot.
Nautical. to sail on a tack longer than is desirable or was intended; overstand.

overreach British

/ ˌəʊvəˈriːtʃ /

verb

(tr) to defeat or thwart (oneself) by attempting to do or gain too much
(tr) to aim for but miss by going too far or attempting too much
to get the better of (a person) by trickery
(tr) to reach or extend beyond or over
(intr) to reach or go too far
(intr) (of a horse) to strike the back of a forefoot with the edge of the opposite hind foot

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

overreacher

noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of overreach

First recorded in 1300–50; over- + reach ( def. )

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:

overreach overreaches overreached overreaching

He says the Governing Body felt it their duty to avoid scriptural "overreach" and only apply what was specifically described in the Bible.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026

And as Madame Defarge , who will become the symbol of the revolution’s bloodthirsty overreach, Duran is splendid; she’s a monster, finally, but layered and human.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

“They’re not actually filing any criminal charges where we can challenge the vagueness, the overreach and the abuse of that statute,” said Regan, the civil-rights attorney.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

“I think you’ll see a challenge there — that there’s just been an overreach and abuse of this particular statute,” Hillman said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

And he was also biding his time, waiting for Archie to overreach himself, to make a mistake.

From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier

Chemerinsky said lower courts have consistently pushed back against the administration’s overreaches when it comes to protected speech, and he expects they will continue to do so.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2025

Carmy tends to brush off nearly all of her concepts, making Syd question whether she can find the culinary success that’s long eluded her at the side of a colleague who overspends and overreaches.

From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2025

If Mr Abiy overreaches, Saudi Arabia may feel obliged to overcome its wariness over the Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki, and support him.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2023

White works methodically toward a queenside break, but switches nimbly to the other flank when his opponent overreaches: 19. a4 g5?!

From Washington Times ● Oct. 3, 2023

Few of the overreaches, but not none: Cahokia was a glaring exception.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

They, too, overreached, invaded lands they couldn’t conquer or couldn’t control, and brought disasters down on their citizenries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026

Additionally, if the Supreme Court rules that Trump overreached his authority to implement tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, businesses could boost hiring in the expectation of reduced levies.

From Barron's ● Jan. 2, 2026

“Now I can take what has happened to my parents and the injustices with it and speak for others,” she said, adding that she felt the government had overreached.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2023

It has said it will apply for a judicial review, where a judge would decide whether the inquiry had overreached its legal powers to demand evidence.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2023

Then, brimming with confidence, he overreached by taking on both the US Army and the most popular television news anchorman in the country, Edward R. Murrow.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

It hardly seems as though there is room for any kind of overreaching music director.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

Credit Suisse fired Barofsky in 2022 for overreaching on his mandate, and he was rehired by UBS after it took over in 2023.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

That makes it important for investors to distinguish between companies capable of handling the cycle and those overreaching.

From Barron's ● Dec. 3, 2025

In its response, Harvard said it did not "take lightly" its obligation to fight antisemitism but said the government was overreaching.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2025

When he left the house he drove rapidly to town, overreaching the slow sabbath groups and the peremptory bells along the broken air.

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023