overtake
verb
over·take
| \ ˌō-vər-ˈtāk
\
\
overtook\ ˌō-vər-ˈtu̇k
\;
overtaken\ ˌō-vər-ˈtā-kən
\;
overtaking
\;
overtaken\ ˌō-vər-ˈtā-kən
\;
overtaking
Definition of overtake
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Examples of overtake in a Sentence
She overtook the other runners and went on to win the race.
The sign says “No Overtaking.”
Seasickness can overtake passengers when the ship encounters a storm.
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Recent Examples on the Web
The court’s decision came just a week after an inevitable, but still painful, blow to the GOP as Democrats overtook Republicans in voter registration in Orange County, once a Republican stronghold. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: More bumps for GOP on road to 2020 election," 18 Aug. 2019 Ariarne Titmus, an 18-year-old Australian, overtook Ledecky in the closing 50 meters to win gold in 3:58.76. — David Woods, Indianapolis Star, "IU's new golden age of swimming: Two Hoosiers help USA win relay at FINA World Championships," 21 July 2019 According to one estimate by auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, China’s box-office income could overtake the US in 2020. — Echo Huang, Quartzy, "China’s censorship is sinking its own movie market," 17 July 2019 At the time, Konami was one of the few prominent game developers to help the TurboGrafx-16, known as the PC Engine in Japan, stay competitive with and even briefly overtake Nintendo and Sega in the home console market. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Mini revival of the TurboGrafx-16 comes out March 2020 with 50 games," 12 July 2019 Despite being overtaken in the goal scoring charts by Alexis Sanchez, Marcelo Salas remains Chile's greatest ever player. — SI.com, "50 Greatest South American Footballers of All Time," 4 July 2019 As China’s economy overtakes America’s in coming years, the U.S. will need to make common cause with the European Union, Japan and other allies to constrain Beijing on the world stage. — John Walcott, Time, "The Risks of Trump’s Dollar-Driven Diplomacy," 13 June 2019 Lava destroyed a building near the plant, bringing the total number of structures overtaken in the past several weeks to nearly 50, including dozens of homes. — Jae C. Hong And Sophia Yan, chicagotribune.com, "Workers plugging energy wells at geothermal plant as lava from Hawaii volcano flows nearby," 22 May 2018 That’s finally changing, thanks in part to Yahoo and AOL, two old-school internet icons sold off for parts after newer tech darlings overtook them. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, "Work Ruined Email," 2 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'overtake.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for overtake
overtake
verb
English Language Learners Definition of overtake
: to move up to and past (someone or something that is in front of you) by moving faster
British
: to go past another vehicle that is moving more slowly in the same direction
: to happen to or affect (someone) in a sudden and unexpected way
See the full definition for overtake in the English Language Learners Dictionary
overtake
verb
over·take
| \ ˌō-vər-ˈtāk
\
\
overtook\ -ˈtu̇k \;
overtaken\ -ˈtā-kən \;
overtaking
Kids Definition of overtake
1
: to catch up with and often pass
I overtook the runner ahead.
2
: to come upon or happen to suddenly or without warning
One night we were overtaken by a snow-storm while still a mile from the village …— Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee
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