overtake

transitive-verb
UK: /ˌəʊvəˈteɪk/
US: /ˌoʊvərˈteɪk/

  1. To go past a moving vehicle or person ahead of you because you are going faster than them.

    1. Don't overtake on a bend it's dangerous.
    2. The cyclist had to overtake a bus that was stopped at the station.

  2. To become greater or more successful than someone or something.

    1. Our debts began to overtake our income last year.
    2. Online sales have gradually overtaken traditional retail sales in many areas.

  3. To catch up with someone or something by going faster.

    1. If we hurry, we might overtake them before the summit.
    2. The runners in the second group quickly began to overtake the leaders.

Synonyms

outstrip surpass gain on exceed pass
overtake intransitive-verb

  1. To pass another vehicle.

    1. It's not safe to overtake here now.
    2. The driver checked carefully before starting to overtake the truck.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "overtake" in English means: To go past a moving vehicle or person ahead of you because you are going faster than them., To become greater or more successful than someone or something., To catch up with someone or something by going faster..

The phonetic transcription of "overtake" is /ˌəʊvəˈteɪk/ in British English and /ˌoʊvərˈteɪk/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "overtake": outstrip, surpass, gain on, exceed, pass.

Example usage of "overtake": "Don't overtake on a bend it's dangerous.". More examples on the page.