outstrip
Americanverb (used with object)
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to outdo; surpass; excel.
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to outdo or pass in running or swift travel.
A car can outstrip the local train.
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to get ahead of or leave behind in a race or in any course of competition.
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to exceed.
a demand that outstrips the supply.
verb
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to surpass in a sphere of activity, competition, etc
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to be or grow greater than
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to go faster than and leave behind
Etymology
Origin of outstrip
Explanation
While outstrip might make you think about undressing, it really means outdoing. If the productivity of your garden outstrips your neighbor's, expect the neighborhood to come calling for fresh vegetables. If one thing outstrips another, it exceeds it or goes beyond it. When you outstrip someone during a race, you pass them. When one company’s profits outstrip another’s, they make more money. When the productivity of one nation outstrips the neighboring nation, they will have a bigger Gross National Product.
Vocabulary lists containing outstrip
Flowers for Algernon
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Grendel
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Sapiens
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bank of America analysts reinstated coverage of the company with a “Buy” rating late last month, saying demand for its services is likely to outstrip supply through at least 2029.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
Demand for memory is expected to outstrip supply until at least the middle of next year when substantial new manufacturing capacity will come online.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
Both Sinner and Alcaraz continue to elevate their games in an attempt to outstrip the other, while the rest of the ATP Tour lags way behind.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
Customers that are also using custom chips and AMD’s GPUs “can only get a fraction of what they want,” Moore said, as demand for AI chips continues to outstrip supply.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 2, 2026
They weren’t armed, but on the other hand they were flying easily within their power, and might even outstrip her if it came to a chase.
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
