overtaken
Passed on highway
Overtaken is the past participle of overtake, meaning to catch up with and pass someone or something that was ahead.
A faster runner overtakes a slower one; a car overtakes another on the highway.
The word extends to abstract situations where one thing surpasses another: Events overtook our careful planning.
When emotions or circumstances are the subject, overtaken suggests being seized or overwhelmed: She was overtaken by grief.
In this sense, the person affected has no control over what befalls them.
Went past a limit
- outstrippedExceeded or overtook
- outpacedExceeded in speed
- eclipsedSurpassed or obscured
- transcendedWent beyond usual limits
outperformed · outdone · bettered · topped · excelled · outclassed · outshone · outmatched
Overwhelmed beyond capacity
- inundatedOverwhelmed by quantity
- overcomePrevail against difficulty
- engulfedCompletely swallowed up
- consumedFully used or eaten
flooded · deluged · besieged · overpowered · seized · gripped · overrun · swallowed
Surprised by unforeseen impact
- supersededReplaced by something newer
- outstrippedExceeded or overtook
- bypassedWent around an obstacle
- displacedShifted from proper location
upended · disrupted · derailed · sidelined · eclipsed · supplanted · outmoded · leapfrogged
Went beyond or succeeded
- lappedPassed by one circuit
- draftedEnlisted by requirement
- slipstreamedFollowed in reduced-drag zone
- chicaneDeliberate tight turns
straightaway · qualifying · circuit · switchback · hairpin · corner · slingshot · dive-bomb
exceeded
Went past a limit
- outstrippedExceeded or overtook
- outpacedExceeded in speed
- eclipsedSurpassed or obscured
transcended · outperformed · outdone · bettered · topped · excelled · outclassed · outshone · outmatched · outdistanced
swamped
Overwhelmed beyond capacity
consumed · flooded · deluged · besieged · overpowered · seized · gripped · overrun · swallowed · drowned
blindsided
Surprised by unforeseen impact
- supersededReplaced by something newer
- outstrippedExceeded or overtook
- bypassedWent around an obstacle
displaced · upended · disrupted · derailed · sidelined · eclipsed · supplanted · outmoded · leapfrogged · outpaced
passed
Went beyond or succeeded
- lappedPassed by one circuit
- draftedEnlisted by requirement
- slipstreamedFollowed in reduced-drag zone
chicane · straightaway · qualifying · circuit · switchback · hairpin · corner · slingshot · dive-bomb · undercut
overtakenahead
In the lead
in the lead · leading · out in front · outpacing · outrunning
overtakenuncaught
Not apprehended
pulling away · outpacing · escaping · eluding · unreached
overtakenin control
Managing with authority
unaffected · untouched · composed · resisting · mastering