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overreacher

 - 5 dictionary results

o⋅ver⋅reach

  [oh-ver-reech]
Use overreacher in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to reach or extend over or beyond: The shelf overreached the nook and had to be planed down.
2. to go beyond, as a thing aimed at or sought: an arrow that had overreached the target.
3. to stretch to excess, as by a straining effort: to overreach one's arm and strain a muscle.
4. to defeat (oneself) by overdoing matters, often by excessive eagerness or cunning: In trying to promote disunity he had overreached himself.
5. to strain or exert (oneself or itself) to the point of exceeding the purpose.
6. to get the better of, esp. by deceit or trickery; outwit: Every time you deal with them you wonder if they're overreaching you.
7. to overtake.
8. Obsolete. to overpower.
–verb (used without object)
9. to reach or extend over something.
10. to reach too far: In grabbing for the rope he overreached and fell.
11. to cheat others.
12. (of a running or walking horse) to strike, or strike and injure, the forefoot with the hind foot.
13. Nautical. to sail on a tack longer than is desirable or was intended; overstand.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME; see over-, reach

Related forms:
o⋅ver⋅reach⋅er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To overreacher
o·ver·reach   (ō'vər-rēch')   
v.   o·ver·reached, o·ver·reach·ing, o·ver·reach·es

v.   tr.

  1. To reach or extend over or beyond.

  2. To miss by reaching too far or attempting too much: overreach a goal.

  3. To defeat (oneself) by going too far or by doing or trying to gain too much.

  4. To get the better of, especially by deceitful cleverness; outwit.

v.   intr.

  1. To reach or go too far.

  2. To overreach oneself.

  3. To outwit or cheat others.

  4. To strike the front part of a hind foot against the rear or side part of a forefoot or foreleg on the same side of the body. Used of a horse.

o'ver·reach' n., o'ver·reach'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

overreach 
c.1300, "to reach above or beyond" (trans.), from over + reach (q.v.). Meaning "to extend over something, to cover it" is from c.1400. Sense of "to reach beyond one's strength" is from 1568.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: over·reach
Pronunciation: "O-v&r-'rEch
Function: transitive verb
: to make (someone or something) the subject of overreaching overreached by the prosecution's submission of misinformation to the court —Townsend v. Burke, 334 U.S. 736 (1948)> overreached privilege —National Law Journal>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: over·reach
Pronunciation: -'rEch
Function: intransitive verb
of a horse : to strike the toe of the hind foot against the heel orquarter of the forefoot
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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