overtook

verb

past tense of overtake
as in caught
to move fast enough to get even with she had to hurry to overtake her friends, who had forgotten their umbrellas the thunderstorm overtook them suddenly

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of overtook For 10 years now — actually, since around the time streaming decisively overtook people’s listening habits — these Beatles releases have made a pretty compelling case for the collectible physical object. — Darryn King, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026 With retail values declining, the campus recently overtook the Trumbull Mall as the town’s top taxpayers. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026 Geely is joining the ranks of BYD, which last year overtook Tesla as the world's biggest EV maker, as well as CATL, the world’s largest EV battery maker, both of which this year rolled out around 5-minute EV ultrafast charging. — ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026 Meta's Muse agent overtook ChatGPT as the leading iOS free app on Friday, with over 730,000 downloads in the last five days. — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026 The flames eventually came within 70 to 90 yards of the tactical team, forcing authorities to use a police helicopter to hoist Spencer’s body and the deputies out of the area before the fire overtook their position, Woo said. — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026 Cass County only recently overtook Palo Alto County for the highest cancer incidence rate in Iowa, according to data from the National Cancer Institute. — Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register, 15 Sep. 2026 In fact, the probe actually overtook Voyager 2 on the way to Jupiter and arrived their first for a flyby in March 1979. — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 5 Sep. 2026 Later, when offices overtook factories as the emblem of work, efficiency became more abstract. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtook
  1. caught
  2. chased
  3. reached
Verb
  • The initial patient — a Kenyan citizen — caught the deadly virus while living in Congo and died earlier this month.
    — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Cooks played nearly every snap after Samuel departed and caught a touchdown on a target inside the 10-yard line.
    — Dalton Del Don, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of caught
Verb
  • Following a 33-32 victory over the New York Giants in Week 7 of the 2025 season while playing for the Denver Broncos, Greenlaw chased and verbally threatened referee Brad Allen as the officiating crew was leaving the field.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The discoveries that will change medicine a generation from now are probably being chased today by people asking questions no one else sees the value of yet.
    — Robert C. Gallo, STAT, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of chased
Verb
  • Temperatures reached 122 degrees Fahrenheit for about six hours, forcing stores to discard fresh and frozen goods.
    — JOHN LEICESTER, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The German government has so far refrained from comment on the trial, pointing out that no verdict has yet been reached and the case is in the hands of the independent judiciary.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of reached

Browse Nearby Words

overtones
overtook
overtop
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Overtook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtook. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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