Words / B2

ohv-uh-TAYK/ˌəʊvəˈteɪk/

To overtake is to go past a moving vehicle or person, or to catch up and become bigger: overtake on the left; demand overtook supply. Pass is everyday; overcome is to beat a difficulty (already in the dictionary). Demand overtook supply in the case study. Mix-up: overtake vs undertake (to promise to do); overrun. Do not write overtake for “take over a company” (that is take over).

Meaning

To go past a moving vehicle or person; also to catch up and become bigger.

Examples

• “Demand overtook supply in the housing case study, the graph showed.”
• “Do not overtake on the blind bend in the driving source, which is the road sense.”

Good to know

overtake + vehicle / person; be overtaken by. Trap: undertake / take over / overcome. Economics, news, and driving. Go past, or become larger than — not “acquire a firm”.

Near in meaning

pass

New