overreached

verb

past tense of overreach
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of overreached Ultimately, Judge Darwin ruled in favor of the California Gaming Association, reaffirming its argument that the Bureau of Gambling Control overreached by attempting to impose new regulations. — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 7 July 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overreached
  1. deceived
  2. exceeded
  3. defeated
  4. surpassed
  5. thwarted
  6. outmaneuvered
  7. outwitted
  8. outsmarted
Verb
  • Now some say the operation has left them feeling deceived and questioning whether the White House considered their safety.
    — Scott Nover, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2026
  • White House pool reporters deceived Advertisement McDonald pushed back on the idea that Air Force One and the people still aboard it, including journalists, were left exposed.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of deceived
Verb
  • One of the most striking details in Samsung's latest earnings report is that its operating profit significantly exceeded market expectations.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The 70% preliminary expectation wildly exceeded projections for fiscal 2028 revenue of roughly $570 billion, or 44% growth from fiscal 2027 (the current year).
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of exceeded
Verb
  • Tysie Gallagher, Terri Harper and Caroline Dubois beat Americans Brandi Robinson, Miranda Reyes and Amelia Moore, respectively, earlier in the night, while Reina Tellez defeated Jessica Barry for the United States’ only victory.
    — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Taylor pitched a career-high 2 2/3 scoreless relief innings and was credited with the win as the Sox defeated the Twins 7-4 in front of 28,140.
    — LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of defeated
Verb
  • Alo continues to expand rapidly after its big yacht summer; Vuori has surpassed its goal of 100-plus stores by the end of 2026; and the UK’s Adanola secured investment from Story3 Capital, valuing the business at $530 million last year.
    — Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The move comes after all three services surpassed 45 million monthly users in the EU, the threshold for enhanced scrutiny under the DSA.
    — Barbara Moens, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of surpassed
Verb
  • As the writer and the actor spend time together, and the narrator tries to pry open some small window into M’s psyche, the process of gathering material is constantly being thwarted by M’s casual instructability.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Others have genuine accessibility issues, from those who don’t live close to movie theaters to superfans thwarted by rights deals that block their geographic locations from showing a movie or series.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of thwarted
Verb
  • For more than a decade, India’s leader Narendra Modi has seemed politically unassailable, presiding over a government that has outmaneuvered opponents, dominated public discourse and squeezed the space for dissent in the world’s biggest democracy.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 28 July 2026
  • In the end, Seattle outmaneuvered and outbodied the Sparks, snatching steals and flipping the ball around the perimeter until the Storm fired off a shot.
    — Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of outmaneuvered
Verb
  • To say that Cucurella was pleased, when the Spanish side outwitted the French in the semifinal, would be an understatement.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • For Deschamps and Stephan, there was no shortage of blame after Spain’s Luis de la Fuente outwitted the French coaching staff for the third time, following wins at the 2024 European Championship and last year’s Nations League semi-final.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of outwitted
Verb
  • For fun, its creator Antonio Prohias also introduced a third agent who often outsmarted both.
    — Will Townsend, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • This disease did not retreat because the bacterium weakened or because humanity outsmarted it.
    — Katrine L. Wallace, The Conversation, 29 July 2026
Definition of outsmarted

Browse Nearby Words

overreach
overreached
overreaches
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Cite this Entry

“Overreached.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overreached. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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