Outdistances

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To go beyond in both distance and speed, to gain a marked lead in terms of progress or success, and to leave others behind by advancing more rapidly or traveling farther than them
2. To move ahead of others by covering more distance or increasing speed, surpassing their progress in movement or effort
3. To lead by traveling beyond the reach or pace of competitors, extending the gap in advancement or speed

Etymology: The word "outdistances" is simply the third-person singular present form of "outdistance", a verb built from two English parts: the prefix "out-" and the noun "distance". The prefix comes down from Old English "ūt", meaning "outside" or "away from", which was already in use in the earliest English and in the Proto-Germanic ancestor before it. "Distance" came into English from Old French and ultimately from Latin "distantia", a noun from "distare", "to stand apart". Combining the two gives the sense of surpassing someone in space. To outdistance a rival in a race is to get so far ahead that they fall out of reach, and the figurative meaning of gaining a lead in progress or success grows naturally from that picture. The verb is a transparent compound, so its sense can be read directly from its parts.

Synonyms: surpasses, outstrips, exceeds, transcends, outpaces

Antonyms: falls behind, lags, follows, matches, equals