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

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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 Mining the moribund annals of art history, the duo create tenderly wrought paintings and drawings that often revisit the aesthetics of the Hapsburg and Ottoman Empires, which overtook large swaths of the artists’ native Croatia for centuries. — Alex Jovanovich, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026 Messi now has an MLS-leading 18 goals on the season and overtook Petar Musa of FC Dallas in the Golden Boot race. — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 30 Aug. 2026 New Mexico State's pass-heavy attack will be directed by QB Trey Hedden, a transfer from Furman who overtook last year’s backup Adam Damante for the starting gig. — Eddie Timanus, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 Its core 1970s grinding yet melodic bluesy approach didn’t shift when synthesizers became the rage in the 1980s or when grunge overtook the rock world in the 1990s. — Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Our team determined that lakes persisted for millions of years before the climate became arid and sand dunes overtook the lakes, although groundwater occasionally breached the surface to produce streams that wove among the dunes. — Ashwin R. Vasavada, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026 That blaze tragically caused the deaths of almost the entire Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot team when flames accelerated through dry, dense, shrubby terrain and overtook 19 elite firefighters. — Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 27 Aug. 2026 The format overtook long-form video in average daily use, ranking second among audiovisual categories. — Matthew Tan, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026 Walmart has also sought to compete with tech-forward giant Amazon, which recently overtook Walmart as the world’s largest company by revenue. — Kayla Steinberg, NBC news, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtook
  1. caught
  2. chased
  3. reached
Verb
  • Summit caught the turnover bug as the Jaguars lost to Red Oak 20-15.
    — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2026
  • As a result, Japan finds itself in a precarious position, caught between a lack of locals to fill roles in the workforce and a distrust of immigrants who can provide labor.
    — Christine Miyawaki, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of caught
Verb
  • The Brewers regained a two-run lead in the sixth on David Hamilton’s RBI single that chased Bradford, who gave up nine hits and three runs in 5 2/3 innings.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The Dodgers loaded the bases again in the eighth but came up empty when Muncy chased a splitter out of the strike zone on the ninth-pitch of his at-bat against reliever Didier Fuentes.
    — Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of chased
Verb
  • That’s the group of free agents who garner the most attention, players who have reached six years of service time or more.
    — Evan Drellich, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The companies’ interest in the Monarch data center shows how the feeding frenzy for compute has reached a new pitch as AI companies look to nail down capacity amid the AI buildout.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of reached

Browse Nearby Words

overtones
overtook
overtop
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Cite this Entry

“Overtook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtook. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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