Other forms: overtaken, overtook, overtaking, overtakes
To overtake is to pass the slower vehicle in front of you. Overtake on the right, safe to overtake, overtaken by events.
It is the British word; American English says pass. Which side you overtake on depends on which side the country drives, and doing it on the wrong side is an offence in most places. Overtaken by events means a plan is out of date before it was used.
1verbovertakeTo pass the slower vehicle in front of you.
“Don't try to overtake the lorry on this bend; you can't see what's coming.”
overtake is a passing.
Middle English overtaken, from over plus take, replacing an older overnimen with the same sense.
Middle English
overtaken
English, today
overtake
Built from
From Middle English overtaken, likely a replacement alteration (as the Middle English verb taken replaced nimen (“to take”)), of Middle English overnimen (“to overtake”), from Old English oferniman (“to take by surprise, overtake”), equivalent to over + take.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA