1.To come up with in a race, pursuit, progress, or motion; also, To catch up with and move ahead of. "Follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say... Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good." "He had him overtaken in his flight."
2.Hence: To surpass in production, achievement, etc.; as, although out of school for half a year due to illness, the student returned and overtook all the others to finish as valedictorian.
3.To come upon from behind; to discover; to surprise; to capture; to overcome. "If a man be overtaken in a fault." "I shall see The winged vengeance overtake such children."
4.Hence, figuratively, in the past participle (overtaken), drunken. (Obs.)
5.To frustrate or render impossible or irrelevant; used mostly of plans, and commonly in the phrase overtaken by events; as, their careful marketing plan was overtaken by events.
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