overreach
verb
over·reach
ˌō-vər-ˈrēch 
ˌō-və-
overreached; overreaching; overreaches
1
: to reach above or beyond : overtop
2
: to defeat (oneself) by seeking to do or gain too much
3
: to get the better of especially in dealing and bargaining and typically by unscrupulous or crafty methods
1
of a horse
: to strike the forefoot with the front part of the hind foot
2
a
: to go to excess
b
3
: to overreach oneself
Examples of overreach in a Sentence
She overreaches in her latest book, and her argument is not convincing.
The company overreached itself and ran out of money after one year.
Recent Examples on the Web
Nearly 2,000 protests and rallies are expected on June 14 to voice rejections of what organizers point to as overreach and abuse by the Trump administration.
—
James Powel, USA Today, 15 June 2025
With that First Amendment right comes a responsibility not to destroy property, loot or condone violence, and a parallel responsibility by police and other law-enforcement not to overreact or overreach.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 June 2025
Levitsky points out that already, there is some evidence that Trump may have overreached, and is losing support.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
Doug McIntosh, Plantation Too much overreach The CHOICE Act is too severe.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for overreach
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James Powel, USA Today, 15 June 2025
With that First Amendment right comes a responsibility not to destroy property, loot or condone violence, and a parallel responsibility by police and other law-enforcement not to overreact or overreach.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 June 2025
Levitsky points out that already, there is some evidence that Trump may have overreached, and is losing support.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
Doug McIntosh, Plantation Too much overreach The CHOICE Act is too severe.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for overreach
Cite this Entry
“Overreach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overreach. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
overreach
intransitive verb
over·reach
-ˈrēch
of a horse
: to strike the toe of the hind foot against the heel or quarter of the forefoot
Legal Definition
overreach
transitive verb
over·reach
ˌō-vər-ˈrēch
: to make (someone or something) the subject of overreaching
this uncounseled defendant was…overreached by the prosecution's submission of misinformation to the court—Townsend v. Burke, 334 U.S. 736 (1948)
Townsend v. Burke, 334 U.S. 736 (1948)must determine whether it overreached privilege—National Law Journal
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