Meanings
present singular third person overtakes · participle present overtaking · past overtook · participle past overtaken
- To pass a slower moving object or entity (on the side closest to oncoming traffic).
The car was so slow we were overtaken by a bus.
3 more examples
The racehorse overtook the lead pack on the last turn.
"I won't over-walk myself," he said, cheerfully. "If the coach doesn't overtake me on the road, I can wait for it where I stop to breakfast. Dry your eyes, my dear; and give me a kiss."
1862, [William] Wilkie Collins, chapter II, in No Name. […], volume II, London: Sampson Low, Son, & Co., […], →OCLC, 4th (Aldborough, Suffolk), pages 176–177The station is planned to include platform loops enabling fast trains to overtake slower ones and is expected to be served by at least four trains per hour towards London.
2019 October, “Funding for 20tph East London service”, in Modern Railways, page 18Synonyms: forge · Antonyms: undertake[curbside]]>
- transitiveTo 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.
1 more example
VVhy didſt thou promiſe ſuch a beautious day, / And make me trauaile forth vvithout my cloake, / To let bace cloudes ore-take me in my vvay, / Hiding thy brau'ry in their rotten ſmoke.
1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 34”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo pass a slower moving object or entity (on the side closest to oncoming traffic).
More synonyms by meaning
verbovercome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Englishoferniman“to take by surprise, overtake”
- Middle Englishovernimen“to overtake”
- Middle Englishovertaken
- Englishovertake
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.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek φθάνω, καταλαμβάνω
- φθάνω (phthánō)to pass a more slowly moving object
- καταλαμβάνω (katalambánō)to pass a more slowly moving object
Arabic سَبَقَ
- سَبَقَ (sabaqa)to pass a more slowly moving object
Bulgarian задминавам, догонвам
- задминавам (zadminavam)to pass a more slowly moving object
- догонвам (dogonvam)to catch up with, but not pass
Chinese Mandarin 超, 賽過 /赛过
- 超 (chāo)to pass a more slowly moving object
- 賽過 /赛过 (sàiguò)to pass a more slowly moving object
Danish overhale, overgå
- overhaleto pass a more slowly moving object
- overgåeconomics: to become greater than something else
- indhenteto catch up with, but not pass
- overrasketo occur unexpectedly take by surprise; surprise and overcome
Dutch inhalen
- inhalento pass a more slowly moving object
Esperanto preterpasi, atingi
- preterpasito pass a more slowly moving object
- atingito catch up with, but not pass
Finnish ohittaa, kasvaa suuremmaksi kuin
- ohittaato pass a more slowly moving object
- kasvaa suuremmaksi kuineconomics: to become greater than something else
- ohittaaeconomics: to become greater than something else
- saavuttaato catch up with, but not pass
- saada kiinnito catch up with, but not pass
- yllättääto occur unexpectedly take by surprise; surprise and overcome
- muuttaato occur unexpectedly take by surprise; surprise and overcome
French dépasser, doubler
- dépasserto pass a more slowly moving object
- doublerto pass a more slowly moving object
- surprendreto occur unexpectedly take by surprise; surprise and overcome
German überholen, überholen
- überholento pass a more slowly moving object
- überholeneconomics: to become greater than something else
- aufholento catch up with, but not pass
- überraschento occur unexpectedly take by surprise; surprise and overcome
- überrumpelnto occur unexpectedly take by surprise; surprise and overcome
Greek ξεπερνάω
- ξεπερνάω (xepernáo)to pass a more slowly moving object
Hungarian előz
- előzto pass a more slowly moving object
Icelandic fara fram úr
- fara fram úrto pass a more slowly moving object
Irish tar suas
- tar suasto pass a more slowly moving object
Italian superare, sorpassare
- superareto pass a more slowly moving object
- sorpassareto pass a more slowly moving object
- superareeconomics: to become greater than something else
- soverchiareeconomics: to become greater than something else
- sopraffareeconomics: to become greater than something else
- raggiungereto catch up with, but not pass
- sorprendereto occur unexpectedly take by surprise; surprise and overcome
Japanese 追い越す
- 追い越す (oikosu)to pass a more slowly moving object
Korean 따라잡다
- 따라잡다 (ttarajapda)to pass a more slowly moving object
Latin adipiscor
- adipiscorto pass a more slowly moving object
Lithuanian aplenkti
- aplenktito pass a more slowly moving object
Māori taha, hipa
- tahato pass a more slowly moving object
- hipato pass a more slowly moving object
- pokito pass a more slowly moving object
- popokito pass a more slowly moving object
Norwegian Bokmål kjøre forbi, passere
- kjøre forbito pass a more slowly moving object
- passereeconomics: to become greater than something else
Polish wyprzedzać, wyprzedzić
- wyprzedzaćto pass a more slowly moving object
- wyprzedzićto pass a more slowly moving object
Portuguese ultrapassar
- ultrapassarto pass a more slowly moving object
Romanian întrece, depăși
- întreceto pass a more slowly moving object
- depășito pass a more slowly moving object
Russian обгоня́ть, обогна́ть
- обгоня́ть (obgonjátʹ)to pass a more slowly moving object
- обогна́ть (obognátʹ)to pass a more slowly moving object
Slovak predbehnúť, predbiehať
- predbehnúťto pass a more slowly moving object
- predbiehaťto pass a more slowly moving object
- dobehnúťto catch up with, but not pass
- dobiehaťto catch up with, but not pass
Spanish rebasar, adelantar
- rebasarto pass a more slowly moving object
- adelantarto pass a more slowly moving object
- gabelarto pass a more slowly moving object
Swedish köra om
- köra omto pass a more slowly moving object
Tamil முந்து
- முந்து (muntu)to pass a more slowly moving object
Thai แซง
- แซง (sɛɛng)to pass a more slowly moving object
Turkish sollamak, geçmek
- sollamakto pass a more slowly moving object
- geçmekto pass a more slowly moving object
Vietnamese vượt
- vượtto pass a more slowly moving object
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with overtake
Anagrams
Cite this entry
overtake. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overtake
“overtake.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overtake. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “overtake,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overtake.
Source: overtake on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.