överskrida

Överskrida is a Swedish verb meaning to go beyond a limit, exceed, or surpass something that is set or expected. It can be used in both concrete and abstract senses, such as crossing a boundary or surpassing a prescribed standard. Common contexts include exceeding a budget, a deadline, or a legal/ethical limit.

The word is formed from the prefix över- meaning over or across and the verb skrida, which relates to stepping or advancing. It is a transitive verb and typically takes a direct object: gränsen (the border/limit), budgeten (the budget), tidsfristen (the deadline), befogenheterna (the powers/authority). Conjugation follows standard Swedish patterns: present överskrider, past tense överskred, supine/participle överskridit. The past participle is often used with haver or other auxiliary verbs, as in “har överskridit.”

Related forms include överskridande, an adjective or noun form meaning exceeding or boundary-crossing. The term should be distinguished from överträda, which more specifically denotes violating rules or norms rather than simply going beyond a limit.

Usage notes and nuance: överskrida emphasizes going beyond a defined boundary rather than merely failing to meet a standard. It can express both intentional and unintentional excess, depending on context. In formal writing, it is common in policy, law, business, and reporting to describe breaches of limits or authorities.

Examples: “Skolan beslutade att inte överskrida den tillåtna studietiden.” “Företaget överskred sin budget för tredje kvartalet.” “Polisen anklagades för att överskrida sina befogenheter.”