overtake

To overtake something means to catch up to it and then move past it. You can use it in a real, physical way, like when one car passes another on the highway. You can also use it in a more general way, like when one runner passes the others in a race, or when a new kind of technology becomes more popular than an older one. It often suggests moving from behind to ahead.

Think of a race where someone starts slowly but keeps going and finally moves ahead. The word can also describe something becoming too strong to control, like fear overtaking someone, or costs overtaking what they earn.

The word "overtake" has a feeling of motion and change. At its heart, it means catching up with someone or something and then going past them. Picture two cars on a road: one is ahead, but the other speeds up, reaches it, and passes it. In that moment, it has overtaken the other car. You can say, "The sports car overtook the family sedan with ease."

But the word is not only about physical movement. It can also describe one person, group, idea, or thing moving ahead of another in success, growth, or popularity. A young athlete might overtake more experienced players. A new app might overtake an older one. You could say, "Streaming services have overtaken traditional cable television."

It also has another use. Sometimes "overtake" means that a feeling or a problem becomes so strong that it seems to take control. Panic can overtake a person. Grief can overtake a family. Debt can overtake someone's finances. In these cases, the idea is still the same: something grows until it is no longer behind or small. It becomes the main thing.

So whether you are talking about a car on the road, a company becoming more successful than another, or a strong feeling taking hold, "overtake" tells a story of something moving from behind to ahead, or from small to overwhelming.