OVERTOPPING Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

overtopping

verb

present participle of overtop

as in exceeding

to be greater, better, or stronger than a manager whose arrogance was overtopped only by his ineptitude

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

losing (to)

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of overtopping Additional steps to prevent the water from overtopping the dam. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026 The 75-year-old levee had multiple failures in recent days, from seepage and water overtopping it to a partial collapse at one home, county officials said. — Steven Rosenfeld, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026 The most common reason levees fail is overtopping, when water from a river, stream or lake behind the levee flows over the top. — Farshid Vahedifard, The Conversation, 29 Dec. 2025 That fateful day, the dam collapsed, releasing a torrent of floodwater that swallowed thousands of homes in the area, ripping some off their foundations while leaving others severely damaged, and overtopping the Sanford Dam. — Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for overtopping

Verb

Shift toward utility-scale plants The current submissions represent a shift toward utility-scale plants exceeding 100 megawatts on single bodies of water.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
The Big Island could see 5 to 10 inches of rain, with isolated amounts exceeding a foot, while Maui might get up to 3 inches.

— Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of exceeding

Verb

Here, in a sleepy suburb just outside the city along the banks of the River Avon, Jackson is in the process of running his 81st consecutive ultramarathon, surpassing the men’s record which stood at 80.

— Rob Tanner, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
The biopic rocked the box office this summer, surpassing $1 billion in global ticket sales.

— Isabelle Farina, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of surpassing

Verb

The home run was Bleday’s 21st of the season, topping his previous career high of 20 with the Athletics in 2024.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
With some ballots still outstanding, Wahab has about 53% of the vote, topping 47% for Hernandez, former mayor of Dublin, California, and president of Bay Area Rapid Transit.

— Joey Garrison, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of topping

Verb

The deal for Savinho falls short of the package for Tonali, which could be worth £100m to Newcastle United, but would represent a record sale for Man City – eclipsing the £82m package that Atletico Madrid paid for Julian Alvarez in 2024.

— David Ornstein, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Looking up with its left Mastcam-Z camera, Perseverance snapped this image of one of Mars' two moons, Phobos and Deimos, partially eclipsing the sun.

— Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of eclipsing

Browse Nearby Words

overtopped

overtopping

overtops

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Style

“Overtopping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overtopping. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of overtopping

verb

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