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
-
The problem is, most people feel deceived when the person in front of them doesn't match the profile.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
Do not be deceived by this seemingly simple question.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Twice in the ‘70s, total volume exceeded one million acre-feet.—
Allen Best,
Denver Post,
14 June 2026
-
Now, more than a year after bringing the project to life, DeCarlo says the investment has exceeded expectations.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
New York City exploded with joy on Saturday night, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets after the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA finals.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
15 June 2026
-
Jalen Brunson finished with 45 points as the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to earn their first title since 1973.—
Tim Reynolds,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Verb
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In the sixth inning, Kansas City Royals star Salvador Perez surpassed Hall of Famer George Brett with his 137th career home run at the club’s home venue.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
19 June 2026
-
None of the Senate candidates surpassed the 50% threshold required to win, and Ossoff and Warnock headed to a January 2021 runoff against their Republican opponents.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Their plan was thwarted when one of the group members, a 19-year-old living at home with his parents, was turned in to local police by his parents for concerning behavior and firearms purchases.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
-
That thwarted the Knicks’ offense, as Wembanyama had three blocks in the game’s first four minutes and five blocks in the first 14.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Infantino endured another lesson in the limits of his facile brand of diplomacy in Vancouver, when he was outmaneuvered by Jibril Rajoub, the 73-year-old president of the Palestinian Football Association, who had asked to address the congress.—
Chris Jones,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
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But in the case of the stork, the bird saw the drone and outmaneuvered it.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Towering over the town is another, much bigger, Venetian fort, the Palamidhi (named after Palamedes, Nafplio’s legendarily clever local hero, who outwitted Odysseus and, well, didn’t live long enough to regret it).—
Helen Brown,
TheWeek,
30 Apr. 2026
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Twenty-six years ago, students treated a visit by then-President Bill Clinton as a challenge, and outwitted the Secret Service by secretly rigging a banner to unfurl at an inopportune moment.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And some of the bees that technically failed the test may have actually outsmarted their contemporaries—by learning to work smarter, not harder.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
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Sunday outsmarted Adam and Hannah with a ruse at Tribal Council.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overreached.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreached. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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