Word
overtook
Phoneticsover·took
US/ˌoʊvɝˈtʊk/
UK/ˌəʊvətˈʊk/
Definition
v. the past tense of overtake. It means you moved past a slower person or vehicle while traveling in the same direction.
v. the past tense of 'overtake'. Refers to the act of catching up with and passing a person or vehicle traveling in the same direction, or becoming greater in number or importance.
Examples
“The blue car overtook the slow truck on the highway.”
“The runner overtook the leader in the final lap to win the gold medal.”
“By the end of the decade, the small startup had overtook its established rivals in market share, signaling a permanent shift in the industry's landscape.”
Examples
simple
“The blue car overtook the slow truck on the highway.”
contextual
“The runner overtook the leader in the final lap to win the gold medal.”
complex
“By the end of the decade, the small startup had overtook its established rivals in market share, signaling a permanent shift in the industry's landscape.”
Usage
The verb is transitive and requires a direct object. As the past tense of 'overtake', it is distinct from the past participle 'overtaken'.
Pitfall
The car has overtook us.
The car has overtaken us.
Learners often confuse the past tense 'overtook' with the past participle 'overtaken' when using the present perfect.
Real-World Examples
“All I Want for Christmas Is You eventually overtook that, thanks to its habit of returning to the charts every December.” “Earlier this week Istanbul overtook Heathrow as Europe’s busiest airport by total passenger numbers.” Scan code
englishreference.com/q/overtook