overtake

o·ver·take

transitive verb

-·took′, -·tak′en, -·tak′ing

to catch up with and, often, go beyond
to come upon unexpectedly or suddenly: a sudden storm overtook us
to render outmoded, irrelevant, invalid, etc.: often in the pp.: a once cutting-edge analysis now overtaken by recent events

overtake

transitive verb

o·ver·took, o·ver·tak·en, o·ver·tak·ing, o·ver·takes

a. To catch up with; draw even or level with.
b. To pass after catching up with.
To come upon unexpectedly; take by surprise: geopolitical strategists who were overtaken by events in southeast Asia.

overtake

Verb

(third-person singular simple present overtakes, present participle overtaking, simple past overtook, past participle overtaken)

To pass a more slowly moving object.
To catch up with, but not pass, a more slowly moving vehicle, animal etc.
"I overtook and passed the doctor between Woking and Send." 1898, H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds
(economics) To become greater than something else
To occur unexpectedly
"Our plans were overtaken by events."

Origin

over- +"Ž take

SentencesSentence examples

Sentence Examples

With the bridges open, the threat she'd foreseen was going to overtake the human world.
Convinced of being divinely inspired, he had begun to see visions, and discovered in the Apocalypse symbols of the heavenly vengeance about to overtake this sin-laden people.
Let the noon find thee by other lakes, and the night overtake thee everywhere at home.
If from habit and tradition he respects a stranger within his threshold, he yet considers it legitimate to warn a neighbour of the prey that is afoot, or even to overtake and plunder his guest after he has quitted his roof.
To lack such care and tendance was - along with want of regular burial - the most dreadful fate that could overtake an ancient; and a Roman, like a Hindu, in case he was childless, adopted a male child whose duty it would be, as if his own son, to continue after his death the family rites or sacra.

Words near overtake in the dictionary