Overtaken

He was still out there, but settled down, and middle-aged; I imagined him -- grown portly in figure and domestic in his habits; in short, overtaken by the fate common to all except to those who, being specially beloved by the gods, get knocked on the head early. ❋ Joseph Conrad (1890)

It was the careful plea of guilty with an explanation—of smoking but not inhaling—that struck many as ludicrously clever, but the phrase was overtaken by “‘is’ is.” ❋ William Safire (2004)

To my enquiries he replied, that, being on horseback, he thought he could have overtaken a kangaroo, which passed him whilst waiting at the creek for the cattle, and that in the attempt, he lost himself. ❋ Charles Sturt (1832)

Along with his boss, he worried that the White House had been so "overtaken" by the anthrax scare that it was unable to manage other vital issues effectively, notably fallout from a war that lasts through winter. ❋ Unknown (2007)

One thing is certain: for the speaker this encounter with the urn is full of surprise, and what he has seen has "overtaken" his mind. ❋ Unknown (2003)

If I had had nothing else to do and had devoted my entire life to the occupation which Gray thought not undesirable as regards Marivaux and Crébillon, I doubt whether I could have "overtaken," as the Scotch say, the entire prose fiction of 1800-1900 in French. ❋ George Saintsbury (1889)

But this we do know, that the success of the "Children of Israel" in not being "overtaken" has been the prototype of father to son in every effort to do so from that day to the present. ❋ Mifflin Wistar Gibbs (1885)

Still, the fact must weigh against him that he suffered himself to be "overtaken" (to use the mildest euphemism at one's command) on such an august occasion. ❋ Unknown (1865)

It was big news around the world: China has "overtaken" Japan as the world's second-richest economy. ❋ Unknown (2010)

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which hasn't decided whether to appeal the decision, contended that the lawsuit has been "overtaken" by the "shared interest" of the technology and music industries in the "development of a legitimate marketplace for online music" through the Secure Digital Music Initiative ❋ Unknown (2010)

Ms Hudson went on to say that Britain had been "overtaken" by President Obama's vision. ❋ Unknown (2009)

I want to prevent that this client machine is "overtaken" by software like LANDESK in a deployment. ❋ Unknown (2009)

'overtaken' suggests that some sin, like a tiger in a jungle, springs upon a man and overpowers him by the suddenness of the assault. ❋ Alexander Maclaren (1868)

While a few will be arrested, immobilized, and stunned by the current inside, others will be overtaken and find themselves unable to hold back the automatic motion of wild movement. ❋ PhD Bradford Keeney (2010)

Shake your booty for the sake of being overtaken by n|om. ❋ PhD Bradford Keeney (2010)

India's No. 4 outsourcer by revenue before its downfall, Satyam has been overtaken by rivals like HCL Technologies and Cognizant Technology Solutions and now ranks sixth. ❋ Harsh Joshi (2011)

You can help them even as you hand them the hotel and restaurant bills, though the clarity in your message may cloud a bit as your laughter is overtaken by your shuddering and wretching, quivering and convulsing, as specific memories of the previous night begin to emerge from blackout. ❋ Rebecca Coffey (2011)

"We prevented this important debate being overtaken by politics and unrelated disagreements on social issues," he said. ❋ Unknown (2011)