overtake

Universal Words 1 (especially BrE) to go past a moving vehicle or person ahead of you because you are going faster than they are: [VN] He pulled out to overtake a truck. * [V] It's dangerous to overtake on a bend. 2 [VN] to become greater in number, amount or importance than sth else: In the next century, nuclear energy could overtake oil as the main fuel. * We mustn't let ourselves be overtaken by our competitors. * Quinine has been overtaken by newer drugs. 3 [VN] [oftenpassive] if sth unpleasant overtakes a person, it unexpectedly starts to happen and to affect them: The climbers were overtaken by bad weather. * Sudden panic overtook her. * Our original plan was overtaken by events (= the situation changed very rapidly) and we had to make a new one.