Dépassement

Dépassement is the act or process of going beyond a limit, boundary, or competitor; it is used as a general term to denote surpassing or exceeding in various contexts, from physical progression to abstract thresholds.

The term derives from the French verb dépasser, meaning to pass beyond or exceed.

In road traffic, dépassement refers to overtaking another vehicle. Drivers may use the left lane in many jurisdictions to pass, signaling intent, and ensuring sufficient distance and visibility before returning to the lane. Regulations vary by country; overtaking is often prohibited on curves, at intersections, on solid lines, or where visibility is limited. Improper overtaking is a common cause of traffic incidents.

In business and economics, dépassement denotes exceeding planned values, such as budget overruns (dépassement budgétaire), delays in schedules (dépassement des délais), or performance targets being surpassed (dépassement des objectifs). The term can carry neutral or negative connotations depending on the context and the impact of the excess.

In science and engineering, dépassement can describe an overshoot in a system response, such as a control system exceeding a setpoint, or crossing a threshold in measurements. It is a common descriptor in discussions of dynamics, signal processing, and performance analysis.

See also: overtaking, surpassing, overshoot.