surmount
playSimple Definition of surmount
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: to deal with (a problem or a difficult situation) successfully
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: to be placed at the top of (something)
Examples of surmount in a sentence
<an Olympic swimmer who surmounted endless obstacles to achieve her goals>
Did You Know?
Our verb mount, meaning "ascend, get up onto", comes from the same Latin root as mountain, and we keep those images in mind when using surmount, since climbing up or over a mountain is a symbol of achievement. The word almost always refers to human effort, and almost always in a positive way; thus, we speak of surmounting difficulties, surmounting problems, surmounting hurdles, surmounting handicaps—you get the idea.
Origin and Etymology of surmount
Middle English, from Anglo-French surmunter, from sur- + munter to mount
First Known Use: 14th century
SURMOUNT Defined for Kids
Learn More about surmount
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for surmount Spanish Central: Translation of surmount Nglish: Translation of surmount for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of surmount for Arabic speakers
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