outpace

Outpace is a verb meaning to move faster than someone or something else, or to surpass in rate of progress or development. It is commonly used to indicate that a person, organization, or phenomenon exceeds another in speed, growth, or achievement.

The term is versatile across domains. In athletics, a runner may outpace rivals; in business and technology, a company may outpace competitors through innovation; in economics and policy, growth or adoption can outpace inflation or forecasts. Outpace is typically transitive: one outpaces another or outpaces a metric (for example, to outpace demand). The forms outpaced and outpacing are the simple past and present participle, respectively.

Etymology traces outpace to the prefix out- meaning beyond and pace meaning speed or rate, with roots in Middle English. The sense broadened to imply surpassing in various measures beyond mere speed.

Usage notes emphasize that outpace contrasts with outstrip or outrun. It highlights a relative rate of progress or speed rather than literal distance, and is commonly used with abstract measures such as growth, adoption, or inflation. The phrase can be followed by by to indicate the standard being exceeded (for example, outpaced by rising costs). As with many verbs, clear subject–object alignment is important when the subject and object are similar.

See also: outstrip, surpass, outrun, exceed.