overreach C2+ Topic:Safety & Risk Also spelled over-reach US /ˌoʊvərˈritʃ/ UK /ˌəʊvəˈriːtʃ/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to extend or exert oneself beyond a safe or proper limit The empire began to overreach, stretching its armies too thin to defend. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to extend or exert oneself... overextendoverstretchexceedoverstepoutsmart ↔ Opposites underreach Word family Derived forms overreaching Related forms reach Common collocations overreach oneself Verb + reflexive pronoun Etymology AI details From over- ('beyond') plus reach, from Old English ræcan ('to reach, stretch out'). Means to reach beyond a safe or proper limit. ofer Old English ræcan Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Safety & Risk External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # overreach **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /ˌoʊvərˈritʃ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˌəʊvəˈriːtʃ/ ## Meanings 1. to extend or exert oneself beyond a safe or proper limit ## Examples - The empire began to overreach, stretching its armies too thin to defend. ## Synonyms - overextend - overstretch - exceed - overstep - outsmart ## Antonyms - underreach ## Derived Forms - overreaching ## Related Forms - reach ## Roots and Affixes - Root: ofer - Root: ræcan ## Etymology From over- ('beyond') plus reach, from Old English ræcan ('to reach, stretch out'). Means to reach beyond a safe or proper limit. ## AI Etymology Overreach comes from over- ('beyond') plus reach, from Old English ræcan ('to reach, stretch out'). Means to reach beyond a safe or proper limit. The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As a verb and noun, it means "to extend or exert oneself beyond a safe or proper limit", so the modern sense keeps the older action or relation visible. Relevant historical forms include Old English ofer and Old English ræcan. Derivative forms include overreaching; related words include reach. ## Topics - Safety & Risk markdown