overtake
oh-ver-TAKE
/ˌoʊvərˈteɪk/
To catch up with and pass another vehicle traveling in the same direction on a roadway.
Implies a active driving maneuver involving changing lanes or pulling ahead of a slower vehicle moving in front of you.
The story behind the word. In thirteenth-century English, 'overtake' meant literally catching up to someone on foot or horseback who had a head start. As mechanized vehicles transformed transportation in the early 1900s, the term adapted to describe catching up to and passing a car ahead.
Word relationships
- pass: 'Pass' is common conversational usage; 'overtake' is formal driver education and legal statutory terminology.
- trail: Trailing means staying behind another vehicle, whereas overtaking means moving past it.
Commonly confused with
- yield: Overtaking is an assertive action to move ahead of another car; yielding is stopping or slowing down to let another car go ahead.
Word family
- overtaking (noun): The act of passing another vehicle.
Collocations
- overtake safely
- overtake on the left
- attempt to overtake
- illegal to overtake
Example sentences
- "It is illegal to overtake a vehicle on a two-lane road when crossing a solid double yellow line." Highway Driving
- "Before attempting to overtake the slow-moving tractor, ensure you have clear visibility of oncoming lanes." Safety Maneuver
Memory hook
OVERTAKE means TAKE control by going OVER and past the car. OVERTAKE = catch up and pass.
When not to use
Do not use 'overtake' to describe passing oncoming traffic going in the opposite direction.
Fun facts
- In the UK, driving on the left means drivers overtake on the right, whereas in North America, drivers overtake on the left.
Explore more words
surpass, interception, outmaneuver, keep up, pass by, pull over
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