overtake.
To pass a slower moving object or entity (on the side closest to oncoming traffic).
Meaning & usage
To pass a slower moving object or entity (on the side closest to oncoming traffic).
The racehorse overtook the lead pack on the last turn.
The car was so slow we were overtaken by a bus.
To become greater than something else in quantity, worth, etc.
Grocery sales in the north have overtaken those in the south.
To take by surprise; surprise and overcome; carry away.
Our plans were overtaken by events.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English overtaken, likely a replacement alteration (as the Middle English verb taken replaced nimen (“to take”)), of Middle English overnimen (“to overtake”), from Old English oferniman (“to take by surprise, overtake”), equivalent to over- + take.
An act of overtaking; an overtaking maneuver.
There wasn't enough distance left before the bend for an overtake, so I had to trundle behind the tractor for another mile.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English overtaken, likely a replacement alteration (as the Middle English verb taken replaced nimen (“to take”)), of Middle English overnimen (“to overtake”), from Old English oferniman (“to take by surprise, overtake”), equivalent to over- + take.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.