overtake

overtake

English

Etymology

From Middle English overtaken, likely an 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.

Pronunciation

• (verb)
  • (UK) IPA^(key): /əʊvə(ɹ)ˈteɪk/
  • (US) IPA^(key): /oʊvɚˈteɪk/
  • Rhymes: -eɪk

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• (noun)
  • (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈəʊvə(ɹ)teɪk/
  • (US) IPA^(key): /ˈoʊvɚteɪk/

Verb

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

1. 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.

   • 2019 October, “Funding for 20tph East London service”, in Modern Railways, page 18:

     The 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.

   Antonym: undertake (to pass a slower moving vehicle on the curbside)

2. (economics) To become greater than something else
3. To occur unexpectedly; take by surprise; surprise and overcome; carry away

   Our plans were overtaken by events.

   • 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 216596634:

     VVhy didſt thou promiſe ſuch a beautious day, / And make me trauaile forth without my cloake, / To let bace cloudes ore-take me in my way, / Hiding thy brau'ry in their rotten ſmoke.

Translations

to pass a more slowly moving object

Arabic: سَبَقَ‎ (sabaqa) Armenian: հասնել (hy) (hasnel), առաջ անցնել (aṙaǰ ancʿnel), վազանց անել (vazancʿ anel), աբգոն անել (abgon anel) (colloquial) Aromanian: astrec, antrec Azerbaijani: ötmək (az) Bulgarian: задминавам (bg) (zadminavam) Chinese: Mandarin: 超 (zh) (chāo), 賽過／赛过 (zh) (sàiguò) Danish: overhale Dutch: inhalen (nl) Esperanto: preterpasi Finnish: ohittaa (fi) French: dépasser (fr), doubler (fr) German: überholen (de) Greek: ξεπερνάω (el) (xepernáo) Ancient: φθάνω (phthánō), καταλαμβάνω (katalambánō) Hungarian: előz (hu) Icelandic: fara fram úr Irish: tar suas (le) Italian: superare (it), sorpassare (it) Japanese: 追い越す (oikosu) Khmer: ផ្ដាច់ (km) (phdac) Korean: 따라잡다 (ttarajapda) Ladin: passé dant Latin: adipiscor Maori: taha, hipa, poki, popoki Mongolian: гүйцэх (mn) (güjcex), нөхөх (mn) (nöxöx), эзэмдэх (mn) (ezemdex), төрөх (mn) (töröx) Norwegian: Bokmål: kjøre forbi Nynorsk: køyre forbi Portuguese: ultrapassar (pt) Romanian: întrece (ro), depăși (ro) Russian: обгоня́ть (ru) (obgonjátʹ), обогна́ть (ru) (obognátʹ) Slovak: predbehnúť, predbiehať Spanish: rebasar (es), sobrepasar (es), adelantar (es) Swedish: köra om (sv) Thai: please add this translation if you can Turkish: sollamak (tr), geçmek (tr) Vietnamese: vượt (vi) ǃXóõ: ǃkʻqáa

to catch up with, but not pass

Bulgarian: догонвам (bg) (dogonvam) Danish: indhente Finnish: saavuttaa (fi), saada kiinni Galician: acadar (gl) German: aufholen (de) Italian: raggiungere (it) Slovak: dobehnúť, dobiehať Spanish: alcanzar (es)

economics: to become greater than something else

Danish: overgå Finnish: kasvaa suuremmaksi kuin, ohittaa (fi) Galician: superar (gl) German: überholen (de) Italian: superare (it), soverchiare, sopraffare (it) Spanish: superar (es)

to occur unexpectedly take by surprise; surprise and overcome

Danish: overraske (da) Finnish: yllättää (fi) (take by surprise); muuttaa (fi) (surprise and overcome) French: surprendre (fr) Italian: sorprendere (it) Spanish: sorprender (es)

See also

• exceed
• surpass
  • Not to be confused with take over.

Noun

overtake (plural overtakes)

1. 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.

Anagrams

• take over, takeover

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Verb

overtake (present tense overtek, past tense overtok, past participle overteke, passive infinitive overtakast, present participle overtakande, imperative overtak)

1. Alternative form of overtaka