overtop
Americanverb (used with object)
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to rise over or above the top of.
a skyscraper that overtops all the other buildings.
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to rise above in authority; take precedence over; override.
No individual shall overtop the law.
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to surpass or excel.
a rise in sales that overtopped everyone in the industry.
noun
verb
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to exceed in height
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to surpass; excel
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to rise over the top of
Etymology
Origin of overtop
Vocabulary lists containing overtop
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.
The reservoir behind the dam rose to within 1 foot of the dam’s maximum storage capacity, prompting warnings that water could overtop the dam and worsen already-dangerous conditions downstream, or damage the dam.
From Scientific American • Jul. 13, 2023
Officials say the Merced River could reach 12.6 feet by mid-week and overtop Pohono Bridge, an iconic stone crossing in Yosemite Valley.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2023
Making matters worse: Communities have been built on those floodplains, so when rivers overtop their banks, the water goes into people’s houses rather than replenishing wetland habitats and slowly sinking into the soil.
From Washington Post • Jan. 10, 2023
If the rivers overtop their banks, water can inundate the plot safely, reducing flood risk downriver.
From New York Times • Jan. 5, 2023
He screeched insults at the bear, which hearing, the bear reared up and seemed to me to overtop Rocinante.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
