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
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.
His omnipresence in public recently has sparked conversations about whether he could overtake Vice President J.D.
From Slate • May 9, 2026
ETFs have long been associated with low-cost passive investing, and the decadeslong rise of follow-the-index strategies—along with tax advantages—has helped them overtake mutual funds as the dominant vehicle for new investment dollars in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
"I remember watching F1 20 years ago and hearing the roar of the engines and it was amazing, but not seeing a single overtake," he says.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
Many investors want out of private credit this year, given increased regulatory scrutiny of the sector, concerns about “cockroaches” and fears that AI could overtake the software industry.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026
Steam did not overtake water and wind as a source of power until after 1830; in Swift’s Laputa, as in eighteenth-century England, steam power did not replace water power but supplemented it.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
