overtake
Americanverb (used with object)
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overtakes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overtook,
past
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overtaken,
past participle
-
overtaking
present participle
-
to catch up with in traveling or pursuit; draw even with.
By taking a cab to the next town, we managed to overtake and board the train.
-
to catch up with and pass, as in a race; move by.
He overtook the leader three laps from the finish.
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to move ahead of in achievement, production, score, etc.; surpass.
to overtake all other countries in steel production.
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to happen to or befall someone suddenly or unexpectedly, as night, a storm, or death.
The pounding rainstorm overtook them just outside the city.
verb (used without object)
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overtakes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overtook,
past
-
overtaken,
past participle
-
overtaking
present participle
verb
-
to move past (another vehicle or person) travelling in the same direction
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(tr) to pass or do better than, after catching up with
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(tr) to come upon suddenly or unexpectedly
night overtook him
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(tr) to catch up with; draw level with
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overtakesimple
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overtakessimple
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have overtakenperfect
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has overtakenperfect
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am overtakingprogressive
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are overtakingprogressive
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is overtakingprogressive
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have been overtakingperfect progressive
-
has been overtakingperfect progressive
Past
-
overtooksimple
-
had overtakenperfect
-
was overtakingprogressive
-
were overtakingprogressive
-
had been overtakingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overtake
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English overtaken; see over-, take
Vocabulary lists containing overtake
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:
When I put it to Meta Glasses' head of product Ankit Brahmbhatt that I thought they might overtake the original camera-enabled glasses in sales, there was a pregnant pause.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Sluis expects direct-to-consumer purchases may eventually overtake wholesale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Is there a chance someone might overtake it, if only for a moment?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Former boss Howard Schultz once expected Starbucks China to overtake the U.S. operation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Thinking of these dangers, I started off to overtake him.
From "Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell
By spending 19 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the UK singles chart, it overtakes the record set by American crooner Frankie Laine with his track I Believe, in 1953.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
I do not think Qualcomm overtakes Nvidia on raw AI performance — but it does not have to.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
Last year's 78-lap race had just four overtakes in total.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
That overtakes Canada, where U.S. exports totaled $336.5 billion or 15.4% of the total.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
The sadness overtakes you; it’s like saying you’ll get a soup and a sandwich at the end of the year, and that’s it.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
Despite gaining an early lead with ChatGPT, rival Anthropic overtook OpenAI in second-quarter revenue.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
In 2021, China overtook the U.S. as the world’s top blueberry grower, and by 2025 its annual production was double what it was in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Despite her injury setback, Hodgkinson overtook Femke Broeders-Bol on the home straight for second in 1:56.26.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
The aggressive Plaskett fire overtook the Timber fire in size, and together they have blackened more than 50,000 acres.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
We couldn’t hurry because of the wagon, so he soon overtook us and walked purposefully down the street ahead as though he knew exactly where he was going.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
And after that, the wheels came off for the Australian, and he was overtaken by the end of the year not only by Norris, but also by Verstappen.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
While the Premier League has been innovative in some ways, in others it has been overtaken by other major leagues.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Six months into the war, the supply crunch for diesel, jet fuel and gasoline has overtaken upheaval in the crude-oil market as the energy industry’s primary concern.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Several years ago he became increasingly frustrated with the professionalism that has overtaken the larger Southland high schools — he has been outspoken against the constant stream of transfers — so he had an idea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
The quiet hum of the radio has been overtaken by a rhythmic sawing sound.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
This is not a common overtaking spot and from a McLaren point of view it was a move with no reward, only risk.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Musk has spent the majority of the past five years in the top position since first overtaking Bezos in 2021.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
Based on his observations thus far, Spasojevic believes the burros could play an important role in the local ecosystem by grazing on non-native grasses and preventing them from overtaking native plants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The 2026 Latinobarometro survey showed that China overtaking the United States in terms of influence for the first time since the annual survey began in 1995.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
The rain and wind were overtaking her, rubbing away the details of her legs; the sun was bleaching her hooves into faint outlines, merging into the cliff.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
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.
