Adjacent Words

Overtake definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

OVERTA'KE, v.t.
1. To come up with in a course, pursuit, progress or motion; to catch.
The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake. Exodus 15.
2. To come upon; to fall on afterwards. Vengeance shall overtake the wicked.
3. To take by surprise.
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye who are spiritual, restore such one in the spirit of meekness. Galatians 6.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: catch up with and possibly overtake; "The Rolls Royce caught us near the exit ramp" [syn: overtake, catch, catch up with]
2: travel past; "The sports car passed all the trucks" [syn: pass, overtake, overhaul]
3: overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli [syn: overwhelm, overpower, sweep over, whelm, overcome, overtake]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb (overtook; overtaken; -taking) Etymology: Middle English, from ¹over + taken to take Date: 13th century 1. a. to catch up with b. to catch up with and pass by 2. to come upon suddenly

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. (past -took; past part. -taken) 1 (also absol.) catch up with and pass in the same direction. 2 (of a storm, misfortune, etc.) come suddenly or unexpectedly upon. 3 become level with and exceed (a compared value etc.).

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Overtake O`ver*take", v. t. [imp. Overtook; p. p. Overtaken; p. pr. & vb. n. Overtaking.] 1. To come up with in a course, pursuit, progress, or motion; to catch up with. Follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say . . . Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good. --Gen. xliv. 4. He had him overtaken in his flight. --Spenser. 2. To come upon from behind; to discover; to surprise; to capture; to overcome. If a man be overtaken in a fault. --Gal. vi. 1 I shall see The winged vengeance overtake such children. --Shak. 3. Hence, figuratively, in the past participle (overtaken), drunken. [Obs.] --Holland.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(overtakes, overtaking, overtook, overtaken) 1. If you overtake a vehicle or a person that is ahead of you and moving in the same direction, you pass them. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use pass) When he eventually overtook the last truck he pulled over to the inside lane... The red car was pulling out ready to overtake. VERB: V n, V 2. If someone or something overtakes a competitor, they become more successful than them. Sales are booming in Japan, which has overtaken Britain as the Mini's biggest market. VERB: V n 3. If an event overtakes you, it happens unexpectedly or suddenly. Tragedy was shortly to overtake him, however. = befall VERB: V n 4. If a feeling overtakes you, it affects you very strongly. (LITERARY) Something like panic overtook me... = overwhelm VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Catch, come up with.

Moby Thesaurus

attend, befall, booze up, boozify, catch up with, come after, come up to, come up with, come upon, crock, displace, emanate, ensue, follow after, follow up, fuddle, gain on, gain upon, go after, hit, issue, lap, leave behind, leave standing, outdistance, outpace, outrun, outsail, outstrip, overhaul, overwhelm, pass, pickle, plaster, pollute, reach, replace, result, seize, souse, stew, stone, strike, succeed, supervene, swack, take, tipsify, track, trail