Overstrides

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To take steps that exceed a normal or typical length, often causing an imbalance in walking or running
2. To move with excessively long strides that may lead to fatigue or injury, especially during physical activities
3. To walk or run in a manner characterized by stepping too far forward, potentially disrupting natural gait and coordination

Etymology: This is a plain compound: "over-" attached to "stride." The prefix comes from Old English "ofer," which descends from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "above" or "across," and it has long been used in English to mean "beyond" or "too much." "Stride," a long, measured step, has its own Germanic ancestry in Middle English, and combining the two produces a verb meaning to step beyond the usual length. The sense here is specifically about excess: a stride that carries the walker or runner past the length their body expects, which throws the rhythm of the gait off balance. The verb form "overstrides" is simply the present-tense third-person singular, used with a subject such as "he" or "she" or "it."

Synonyms: exceeds, surpasses, outpaces, outstrips, overtakes

Antonyms: lags, falls behind, underperforms, fails, recedes