surplus

1 of 2

noun

sur·​plus ˈsər-(ˌ)pləs 

1

a

: the amount that remains when use or need is satisfied

b

: an excess of receipts over disbursements

2

: the excess of a corporation's net worth over the par or stated value of its stock

surplus

2 of 2

adjective

: more than the amount that is needed : constituting a surplus

surplus food/clothing/equipment

When the sea captains returned, they would sell their surplus wares on the wharves.

—Carol Vogel

Long before the comparable worth battles of today, the economic value of women's work was evident to farm women who set prices for the surplus butter, candles, soap, honey, preserves, chickens, and eggs they raised or manufactured.

—Mary Kay Blakely

Synonyms of surplus

Noun

• excess
• overflow

Adjective

• excess
• extra
• spare

Examples of surplus in a Sentence

Noun

If there is any surplus, it will be divided equally.

There is a surplus of workers and not enough jobs.

Adjective

surplus stock gets shipped to the warehouse and is eventually sold at auction

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Back then, online purchases hadn’t been invented, experiences were less curated, and the World Cup was regarded as a festival of soccer rather than an opportunity to extract consumer surplus. —John Cassidy, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026

Of course, Indiana closed fiscal year 2025 with a $676 million surplus and billions in reserves, which makes these sorts of decisions possible. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026

Adjective

The balance sheet discussion could get a bit technical in the form of the choice of reduction (roll-offs or active sales), which securities (Treasuries or Mortgage Backed Securities) and whether the resulting decline in surplus liquidity could trigger another 2019-like crisis in the repo market. —Jim Edwards, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026

Using surplus army tents from the Korean War to house up to 1,700 inmates, Arpaio built Tent City in August 1993 to address overcrowding in Phoenix jails. —Jonathan Van Harmelen, The Conversation, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin superplus, from Latin super- + plus more — more at plus

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1589, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing surplus

• budget surplus
• surplus to requirements
• surplus value
• trade surplus

Rhymes for surplus

• surplice

Kids Definition

surplus

noun

sur·​plus ˈsər-(ˌ)pləs 

1

: the amount more than what is required or necessary : excess

2

: an excess of income over spending

surplus adjective

Legal Definition

surplus

noun

sur·​plus ˈsər-ˌpləs 

1

a

: an amount that remains when a use or need is satisfied

b

: an excess of receipts over disbursements

c

: the value of assets after subtracting liabilities

2

: an excess of the net worth of a corporation over the par value of its capital stock compare undivided profits

— capital surplus

: all surplus other than earned surplus

— earned surplus

: the surplus that remains after deducting losses, distributions to stockholders, and transfers to capital stock accounts

— paid-in surplus

: surplus resulting from the sale of stock at amounts above par