1
as in deceived
to get the better of through cleverness
a real estate developer who is always trying to overreach his competitors, fair means or foul
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in exceeded
to go beyond the limit of
the mountain climbers overreached their abilities and paid for it dearly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overreached
The defense argued that the encounters were consensual and that the government had overreached.
—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 9 Mar. 2026
Democrats and liberals strongly believe Trump has overreached yet again — albeit not in quite such egregious terms — by inveighing against Bad Bunny.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 10 Feb. 2026
Rozier's lawyers have asked for the charges against him to be thrown out, arguing that the government overreached by turning a private dispute over bettors' use of nonpublic information into a federal case.
—CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
The pregnant pauses between seasons have overreached.
—Emma Flint, IndieWire, 25 Nov. 2025
The law also aims to rein in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Republicans argue had overreached under former President Joe Biden.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 9 Mar. 2026
Democrats and liberals strongly believe Trump has overreached yet again — albeit not in quite such egregious terms — by inveighing against Bad Bunny.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 10 Feb. 2026
Rozier's lawyers have asked for the charges against him to be thrown out, arguing that the government overreached by turning a private dispute over bettors' use of nonpublic information into a federal case.
—CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
The pregnant pauses between seasons have overreached.
—Emma Flint, IndieWire, 25 Nov. 2025
The law also aims to rein in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Republicans argue had overreached under former President Joe Biden.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreached
Verb
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Svetlana Petriychuk wrote the play Finist, the Brave Falcon, based on real events, about Russian women deceived into marrying ISIS fighters and traveling to Syria.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Veteran Vietnam correspondent Neil Sheehan broke the story of the Pentagon Papers, which showed how government officials deceived the public about the Vietnam war.—
Kathy Kiely,
The Conversation,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The seamless cooperation between the two allies has exceeded expectations.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued the warning because the bacteria levels exceeded state health standards.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In their most recent matchup, UCI defeated the Aztecs, 55-45, at Viejas Arena in the first round of the 2023 WNIT.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The Blue Devils defeated Florida, Arkansas, Kansas and Michigan State, among others.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Brand New Day trailer surpassed Deadpool & Wolverine’s 24-hour benchmark in just eight hours with a remarkable 373 million views.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
19 Mar. 2026
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Earlier this week, diesel surpassed $5 a gallon for the first time since 2022.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Theroux attempts to speak with women connected to his noxious subjects, but his efforts are largely thwarted.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The initiative has thwarted two potential attacks.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The ferocity of their scenes together, aided by Arias’ devoted yet outmaneuvered Thea, sets the production ablaze with erotic danger.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
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Paramount, which was outmaneuvered by Netflix last December, has received a warmer response from WBD this week and the two media companies are continuing to negotiate.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Rams, seeded 11th, caused an average of 22 turnovers per game with its full-court trapping defense and outwitted everyone in their run from First Four to Final Four.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
18 Mar. 2026
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Probst, who grew up in the Seattle area and started his career here, is synonymous with the show that’s outlasted (and outwitted, and outplayed) any TV counterpart.—
Paige Cornwell,
Twin Cities,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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He gets outsmarted by Forst and trapped in a symbiotic relationship where has to work for the world’s worst man to see his discovery come to fruition.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
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However, ancient mythology is filled with examples of crafty foxes being outsmarted by their own traps.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overreached.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreached. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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