overtake
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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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)
verb
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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
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has been overtakingperfect progressive
Past
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overtooksimple
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had overtakenperfect
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was overtakingprogressive
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were overtakingprogressive
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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:
Now, Pogacar is in prime position to overtake all of them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Aimée thinks that Millennials in particular have so much nostalgia for catalogs because they were the generation that witnessed e-commerce overtake mail order.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
"This could potentially overtake us here, this has gotten a little scary," a crew member says as the train rushes past burning trees near Armstrong, Ontario.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Although Japan and the Netherlands are the favorites to win the group, Sweden could overtake both with a win, provided the Dutch do no better than a draw.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
Then Washington began to overtake California, methodically, seat by seat, the boys still rowing at a remarkably low thirty.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
I do not think Qualcomm overtakes Nvidia on raw AI performance — but it does not have to.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
"I think you're going to get a lot of overtakes."
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
“I speculate it will be a while—if ever—before Amazon overtakes Walmart in retailing,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
He overtakes two of his compatriots who have won eight golds at Winter Olympics -- former cross-country skiers Marit Bjoergen and Bjoern Daehlie, and former biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen.
From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026
It overtakes you literally by degrees as your body temperature falls and your natural responses grow sluggish and disordered.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Apple’s market capitalization during Friday trading, when it briefly overtook Nvidia to become the world’s most valuable company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Last term, when there were both more cases and more referrals to the full court, the appeals to the shadow docket finally overtook those to the merits docket.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
The $14.7-million repainting of the Reflecting Pool became particularly controversial last month after algae overtook the renovated pool and the new paint appeared to peel off.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
SK Hynix, which overtook Samsung as the market’s biggest stock this week, tumbled 12.5%, while Samsung fell 13.2%.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
They followed him for a while and then they overtook him.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
Ten years after the fall of Troy, Odysseus still hasn’t returned home to Ithaca, and his kingdom has been overtaken by suitors crudely courting his wife’s hand.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
The room is overtaken with projections, scenes of bustling New York traffic paired with bachelor-pad-like guitar riffs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Plans for celebrating the United States's 250th anniversary on Saturday have been quickly overtaken by storm preparations, with both Guam and the Northern Marianas declaring a state of emergency.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
Even Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari had won a race, and overtaken him in the points table, before Russell got back on the scoreboard.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
A little later, Fischer and Lopsang were resting when they were overtaken by Makalu Gau and his two Sherpas, Mingma Tshering and Ngima Gombu.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Nvidia, as the chipmaker at the center of the AI boom, had held the No. 1 spot for over a year after overtaking Apple in May 2025.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
A record of overtaking the West in electric vehicles and batteries gives many in China confidence the country can eventually break the U.S. stranglehold on chip technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The sector now makes up 30 percent of all Mexican products shipped to the United States, overtaking the automotive industry as the largest component of exports.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
"It's a shame we are not starting here but there is plenty of opportunity, it is a long race and it's good for overtaking, hopefully we can put on a good show tomorrow."
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
I felt surprised by the sadness overtaking me.
From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed
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.
