🇩🇪German Source WordCode: DE

überholen

Pronunciation / Transliteration: yü-ber-ho-len

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Overtake/ˌoʊ.vɚˈteɪk/
verbCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #2500 frequency
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🇩🇪 Example Sentence in German:

"Es ist verboten, in dieser Kurve zu überholen."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As verb
  1. 1

    To catch up with and pass while traveling in the same direction.

    "The sports car easily overtook the slower sedan on the highway."
  2. 2

    To come upon someone suddenly and unexpectedly, often referring to an emotion or natural force.

    "A profound sense of grief overtook her when she heard the news."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from Middle English, combining the prefix over- (meaning surpassing or exceeding) and the verb taken (from Old Norse taka). Historically evolving from physical movement past a traveler, its meaning broadened to encompass sudden emotional envelopment and surpassing competitors in performance.

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