Outsprinting

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Surpassing others by running faster toward a finish line or destination; exceeding someone in speed during a footrace or rapid movement; outpacing competitors through superior sprinting ability
2. Achieving greater speed than all others in a short-distance race; moving ahead quickly in a burst of speed to win or gain advantage; exceeding rivals in swift, rapid running efforts
3. Reaching a goal before others by accelerating more swiftly; overtaking opponents in running by a quicker burst of motion; excelling in speed to outdistance others on foot

Etymology: "Outsprinting" is the present participle of "outsprint," a verb built from the prefix "out-" and "sprint." The prefix is an old native one: "ūt" in Old English meant "out," and it has kept that sense through to modern English, so the word carries no hidden Latin or French past. The heart of the word is "sprint," which passed through a surprisingly long journey. It descends from a Proto-Germanic verb that probably meant something like "to leap" or "to spring," and it reached English through Old Norse "spretta," a close relative of the Scandinavian word that gave Middle English "sprenten" (to sprinkle or spring up). Over the centuries the sense narrowed from general springing and leaping to running swiftly over a short distance, the "sprint" we know from racetracks. Putting the two together, "outsprint" means to surpass someone in a sprint, leaving them behind in a burst of speed. The compound follows the same pattern as "outrun" or "outdo," so it is a straightforward English formation rather than a borrowing.

Synonyms: outpace, outrun, outdistance, outstrip, outperform

Antonyms: lag, fall behind, lose