overtake
gb/ˈoʊvɚtˌeɪk/ us/ˈoʊvɚtˌeɪk/
B1
Engleză
~ 8200
Sensuri
0 sensuri
Verb
B1
action
1
pass a moving vehicle or person
To go past someone or something that is moving in the same direction as you.
Tipar de utilizare:
to overtake [someone/something]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes confuse "overtake" with "take over." "Overtake" means to go past a moving person or vehicle, especially in British English, while "take over" means to get control of something (for example, a company or a task). In traffic English, American speakers usually say "pass" instead of "overtake."
Sinonime
pass (More common in everyday, especially American, traffic English; a bit more general and less formal than "overtake".)
Antonime
fall behind (Means to move more slowly so that the distance between you and another person or vehicle increases, the opposite of catching up and moving ahead.)
Colocații
overtake a car
|overtake a truck
|attempt to overtake
|dangerous overtaking
|overtake on the inside
|overtake on the outside
Teme
transport
|sports
|daily life
|transportation
|travel
|daily_life
Exemple
- The red car tried to overtake the bus on a blind corner.
- Cyclists are not allowed to overtake the safety vehicle before the final lap.
- She pulled out to overtake the slow-moving tractor.
- You should only overtake on the outside when it is clearly safe to do so.
- Traffic slowed as drivers waited for a chance to overtake the lorry.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- Do not overtake that car; the road is narrow.
- He sped up to overtake the white van.
- We had to wait a long time before we could overtake the bus.
- The bike tried to overtake the taxi at the lights.
- It is dangerous to overtake on a bend.
Verb
B2
action
2
become greater than; surpass
To become bigger, more, or more successful than something else.
Tipar de utilizare:
to overtake [someone/something] (in [measure])
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes only know "overtake" for cars and do not realize it can also mean "to become more than" in business, numbers, and popularity. In these abstract contexts, "overtake" is closer to "surpass" than to the physical idea of passing on the road.
Sinonime
surpass (Very close in meaning; slightly more formal and often used in written English, especially reports and analysis.)
Antonime
lag behind (Means to be slower to grow or develop and remain in a weaker or smaller position, the opposite of becoming greater than another.)
Colocații
overtake a competitor
|overtake a rival
|overtake the market leader
|overtake in popularity
|sales overtake demand
|overtake in size
Teme
business
|statistics
|technology
|core_vocabulary
|education
Exemple
- Online sales have now overtaken in‑store purchases for the first time.
- The team's recent success has allowed them to overtake their main rivals in the league.
- China is expected to overtake other countries in renewable energy capacity.
- Streaming services have overtaken traditional TV in popularity among young viewers.
- Mobile payments could soon overtake cash as the most common way to pay.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- Their company hopes to overtake the market leader next year.
- Smartphones quickly overtook older mobile phones in many countries.
- Our sales may overtake last year’s numbers.
- Online news has overtaken printed newspapers for many people.
- The small start-up overtook big companies in this new field.
Verb
C1
action
3
suddenly affect or overwhelm someone
If something like an emotion, illness, or event overtakes you, it suddenly happens to you and you cannot stop it.
Tipar de utilizare:
to be overtaken by/with [emotion/event]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may think this is only a physical meaning with cars. In this sense, "overtake" is often used in the passive with abstract subjects such as emotions, illness, darkness, or events ("be overtaken by fear", "be overtaken by events") and sounds a bit formal or literary.
Sinonime
overwhelm (Emphasizes being emotionally or mentally overloaded; "overtake" adds the idea of something coming on suddenly or catching you unprepared.)
Antonime
avoid (Means to prevent something from happening to you, the opposite of being suddenly affected by it without control.)
Colocații
overtaken by emotion
|overtaken by fear
|overtaken by illness
|overtaken by darkness
|overtaken by events
Teme
emotions
|health
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- As she spoke about her late father, she was overtaken by emotion and had to pause.
- The climbers were overtaken by a violent storm halfway up the mountain.
- He was suddenly overtaken by dizziness and had to sit down.
- They set off early but were overtaken by darkness before they reached the village.
- The government’s original plans were quickly overtaken by events on the ground.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- He was overtaken by fear when he heard the noise.
- On the way home, we were overtaken by heavy rain.
- She was overtaken by sadness after the phone call.
- The hikers were overtaken by darkness in the forest.
- His old plan was overtaken by new events.
Gramatică
Forma de dicționar
overtake
IPA
GB/ˈoʊvɚtˌeɪk/
US/ˈoʊvɚtˌeɪk/
Silabe și accent
over - take (2 silabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (over)
Forme ale cuvântului
Verb
- Base: overtake
- 3rd Person Singular: over-takes, overtakes
- Present Participle: over-taking, overtaking
- Past: over-took, overtook
- Past Participle: over-taken, overtaken
Familie de cuvinte
Forms
over-takes
verb
overtakes
verb
over-taking
verb
overtaking
verb
over-took
verb
overtook
verb
over-taken
verb
overtaken
verb
Aspecte importante
- Irregular past: over-took, overtook Verb
- Irregular past participle: over-taken, overtaken Verb
Expresii
be overtaken by emotion
1/bˈi ˈoʊvɚtˌeɪkən bˈaɪ ɪmˈoʊʃən/
fixed phrase
suddenly filled with emotion
To suddenly feel a very strong emotion that you cannot easily control.
Exemple
- She was overtaken by emotion as she thanked the rescue team.
- He paused, overtaken by emotion, before he could continue his speech.
be overtaken by events
1/bˈi ˈoʊvɚtˌeɪkən bˈaɪ ɪvˈɛnts/
idiom
formal
plans made irrelevant by events
When plans or decisions are no longer useful because new, unexpected things have happened.
Exemple
- The peace talks were overtaken by events when fighting suddenly broke out again.
- Their marketing strategy was overtaken by events as the market changed much faster than expected.
- The law was quickly overtaken by events and had to be rewritten.
overtake on the inside
1/ˈoʊvɚtˌeɪk ˈɔn ðə ˈɪnsˌaɪd/
fixed phrase
pass using the inside lane
To pass another vehicle using the lane on the inside, closer to the middle of the road or track.
Exemple
- You should only overtake on the inside if the lane is clear and it is allowed.
- The racing driver overtook on the inside to take the lead on the final corner.
overtake on the outside
1/ˈoʊvɚtˌeɪk ˈɔn ðə aʊtsˈaɪd/
fixed phrase
pass using the outside lane
To pass another vehicle using the lane on the outside, farther from the middle of the road or track.
Exemple
- It is usually safer to overtake on the outside on this stretch of road.
- He overtook on the outside just before the finish line.