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

McNally said families who find themselves on the register can sometimes feel there has been an overreach by social services.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Hochman spoke with me for nearly an hour about his reasons for what many, myself included, see as his prosecutorial overreach in this case.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 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

“He’s always been a fighter against federal regulatory overreach, and it’s clear for obvious reasons that he has an affinity for oil and gas, given its dominance in Texas,” Longanecker said.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 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

But when it overreaches, it undercuts what it claims to encourage.

From Salon ● May 13, 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

However, considering the potential harms of this technology, enforceable safeguards are needed to prevent unconstitutional overreaches.

From Scientific American ● May 18, 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

"He has overreached in advertising something to end up getting what he actually wants. Maybe what he actually wants is a larger military presence and an offtake."

From BBC ● Jan. 19, 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

I returned the ball to her, but Gary overreached to poach it, driving a shot into Noah’s waiting forehand.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2025

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

During the McCarthy era, overreaching laws, surveillance, and public and private sector reprisals ostensibly targeted alleged communists.

From Salon ● May 28, 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

Tech firms, which are desperate to stop other countries from implementing similar bans, have argued the government is overreaching, and pointed to recently strengthened parental controls on many of their platforms as a solution.

From BBC ● Dec. 10, 2025

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

From Barron's ● Dec. 3, 2025

Lawrence had built his career by overreaching and then making good on his promises.

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