overreached
Exceeded one's grasp
Overreached is the past tense of overreach, meaning to extend too far or attempt more than one can achieve.
Someone who overreached exceeded their grasp—whether in ambition, authority, or physical reach: The company overreached when it expanded into three new markets simultaneously.
The word often implies failure resulting from excessive confidence or ambition: The prosecutor overreached and lost the case.
Went too far
- outstrippedExceeded or overtook
- surpassedWent past or beyond
- oversteppedWent past acceptable limits
- transcendedWent beyond usual limits
outdone · overextended · outpaced · stretched · overstretched · pushed too far · went too far · crossed the line
Excessive stretching force
- pulledDrew with force
- stretchedPulled to lengthen
- extendedLengthened in time or space
- hyperextendedStretched beyond normal limits
strained · injured · torn · sprained · twisted · overextended · overexerted
Sudden loss of power
- collapseSudden structural failure
- miscalculationError in estimation
- blunderFoolish, costly mistake
- misstepError in action or judgment
debacle · fiasco · backfired · undoing · ruin · defeat · setback · comeuppance
Ruinous excessive confidence
- overconfidenceUnjustified certainty in oneself
- arroganceExcessive self-importance
- presumptionBelief held without proof
- overambitiousExcessively driven toward goals
vaulting · grandiosity · power-hungry · expansionism · imperialism · overextension · excess · greed
overshot
Went too far
- outstrippedExceeded or overtook
- surpassedWent past or beyond
- oversteppedWent past acceptable limits
transcended · outdone · overextended · outpaced · stretched · overstretched · pushed too far · went too far · crossed the line · overplayed
strain
Excessive stretching force
hyperextended · strained · injured · torn · sprained · twisted · overextended · overexerted
downfall
Sudden loss of power
- collapseSudden structural failure
- miscalculationError in estimation
- blunderFoolish, costly mistake
misstep · debacle · fiasco · backfired · undoing · ruin · defeat · setback · comeuppance · reversal
hubris
Ruinous excessive confidence
- overconfidenceUnjustified certainty in oneself
- arroganceExcessive self-importance
- presumptionBelief held without proof
overambitious · vaulting · grandiosity · power-hungry · expansionism · imperialism · overextension · excess · greed · dominance
overreachedheld back
Kept from advancing
played it safe · underachieved · fell short · settled · undershot
overreachedgot it right
hit the mark · succeeded · achieved · delivered · nailed it
- federal overreachExcessive national government authority
- executive overreachAuthority exceeding its limits