to overtake a competitor

USAGE SUMMARY

The part of a sentence "to overtake a competitor" is correct and usable in written English.
It is a phrasal verb that means to surpass someone in a race or competition. You could use the phrase to express competitive success. For example: "After months of hard work, I finally managed to overtake my competitor in the regional sales rankings."

✓ Grammatically correct

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Here drivers were constrained by double white lines; if they chose to overtake, a violation was recorded.

BMJ Open

Through external and self-adaptive calibration post-fabrication, transistor performance improves enough to overtake DAC competitors by a factor of three or four while saving 30x in space and 10x in power and enabling integration with DSP and microprocessing logic, memory and other components.

Forbes

In addition, as methanol assimilation is a highly specific capability for this yeast, not seen in most species, it could be the case that optimal growth is not required to overtake competitors in an already favorable environment.

BMC Systems Biology

That push began about two years ago, when Mr. Little and Jeffrey R. Immelt, G.E.'s chief executive, began to take note of the kind of efficiencies that companies like Google, Amazon, Yahoo and Facebook were able to realize on the Internet, using lots of data to overtake traditional competitors in publishing and media.

The New York Times

Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas, the Acme Oyster reigning queen with 47 dozen in eight minutes, was concerned that the short form contest of five minutes, would not allow her to overtake competitors down the stretch, when her "economy of motion" technique (four oysters to a fork, a dozen downed in roughly 12 seconds) would propel her to victory.

Huffington Post

If so, expect Rush to find it hard to overtake more serious competitors.

The Guardian - Film

While Apple and Samsung struggle to retain their market share, China's Huawei, now the world's third-largest phone-maker, is reporting huge growth and aiming to overtake its main competitors.

Vice

Nevertheless, to overtake this problem, a new set of discrete orthogonal moments has been proposed.

EURASIP Journal on Image and Video Processing

What incentive does a university have to spread best practice when that process will help "competitors" to overtake them in the league tables?

The Guardian

And even if online readership has yet to reach saturation point, some industry executives think that growing overall numbers may no longer make much difference to their ability to generate new revenues – although they will not find it easy, initially at least, to allow competitors to overtake their traffic figures.

The Guardian

In a letter published in newspaper ads earlier this week, Mr. Ballmer wrote that the proposed remedy would "send a signal that companies in America that are 'too' successful will be punished harshly -- a signal that will be welcomed by foreign competitors seeking to overtake America's global leadership in technology".

The New York Times - Tech

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing business strategy, use "to overtake a competitor" to clearly communicate the goal of surpassing rivals in market share or performance.

Common error

Avoid using "to overtake a competitor" when the context requires a more nuanced term. For example, use "to influence a competitor" if the goal is not to surpass but to affect their actions.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "to overtake a competitor" functions as an infinitive phrase, often acting as a purpose clause, explaining the aim or intention behind an action. Ludwig AI explains the phrase is correct and usable in written English. It is used to express competitive success.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

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Formal & Business

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Less common in

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Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "to overtake a competitor" is a grammatically sound and readily understandable expression signifying the act of surpassing a rival. According to Ludwig AI, this phrasal verb is correct and effective in English writing. Although exact examples are missing, our analysis pinpoints its neutral register, positioning it as apt for diverse communication landscapes, especially in professional contexts. It reflects an ambition and a goal. By exploring similar phrases such as "to outdo a competitor" and "to surpass a rival", and by recognizing typical usage pitfalls, one can deftly articulate strategies for competitive success.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

to surpass a rival

Replaces "overtake" with a more formal synonym, "surpass", emphasizing a clear victory.

to outdo a competitor

Uses "outdo" to suggest exceeding a competitor's performance or achievements.

to beat a competitor

Employs "beat" for a simpler, more direct expression of defeating a rival.

to outstrip a competitor

Uses "outstrip" to convey surpassing a competitor, particularly in growth or progress.

to eclipse a rival

Employs "eclipse" to suggest overshadowing or diminishing a rival's prominence.

to gain an edge over a competitor

Focuses on acquiring an advantage rather than a complete overtaking.

to move ahead of a competitor

Describes the action of progressing beyond a competitor, focusing on forward movement.

to leave a competitor behind

Highlights the act of distancing oneself from a competitor.

to outperform a competitor

Focuses specifically on exceeding a competitor's performance metrics.

to better a competitor

A concise way of saying to achieve more than a competitor.

FAQs

How can I use "to overtake a competitor" in a sentence?

You can use "to overtake a competitor" to describe the act of surpassing a rival in a race, market, or any form of competition. For example, "The company aims to innovate in order "to overtake a competitor" in the mobile phone market".

What are some alternatives to "to overtake a competitor"?

You can use alternatives like "to surpass a rival", "to outdo a competitor", or "to beat a competitor" depending on the specific context.

Is "to overtake a competitor" formal or informal?

"To overtake a competitor" is generally neutral and can be used in both formal and informal contexts, although more formal alternatives like "to surpass a rival" might be preferred in highly formal settings.

What's the difference between "to overtake a competitor" and "to compete with a competitor"?

"To compete with a competitor" describes the act of engaging in competition, while "to overtake a competitor" implies successfully surpassing them. Competing is the process, and overtaking is the desired outcome of that process.