excel

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verb ex·cel \ ik-ˈsel \

Definition of excel

excelled; excelling

transitive verb

:to be superior to :surpass in accomplishment or achievement

intransitive verb

:to be distinguishable by superiority :surpass others

excel in sports

excelled at lipreading

See excel defined for English-language learners

See excel defined for kids

Examples of excel in a Sentence

She excels everyone else in sports.
the special effects in this new sci-fi extravaganza excel any that we've seen previously

Recent Examples of excel from the Web

Adventist Health Glendale’s geriatrics, orthopedics as well as neurology and neurosurgery categories excelled in the report.

— jeff landa, Glendale News-Press, "Adventist Health Glendale ranks high in multiple areas in latest ‘Best Hospitals’ list," 29 Aug. 2017
Part of what Ellis does right off the field is excel in the classroom.

— pat disabato, Daily Southtown, "Countdown to football: Marcell Ellis, H-F ranked No. 2 in preseason," 23 Aug. 2017
Many skaters choose a single discipline and work to excel at it.

— tod leonard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Clash at Clairemont is home event for pro skater Jeromy Green," 10 Aug. 2017
Anna excels at some greatest-hits Italian dishes, too.

— gabriella gershenson, New York Times, "A Jerusalem Restaurant With Italian and Israeli Influences," 28 July 2017
Hayden had always excelled at Laguna, having won the U.S. Moto GP there in 2005, and 2006.

— norm dewitt, Ramona Sentinel, "Gagne trying to leave his mark; Former Ramonan moving up in ranks of World Superbike," 10 July 2017
Where the current Congress excels is in passing one-page bills.

— philip bump, Washington Post, "60 percent of the bills Trump has signed into law have been one page long," 5 July 2017
Moskalick, who was a three-time NCAA qualifier, had potential to excel at one of the three, maybe two out three — but all three?

— rahim thompson, Post-Tribune, "Lindsay Moskalick the Post-Tribune 2017 Girls Track Coach of the Year," 5 July 2017
Algorithms such as neural networks excel in sifting signal from background, says Pushpalatha Bhat, a physicist at Fermilab.

— science news staff, Science | AAAS, "AI is changing how we do science. Get a glimpse," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'excel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of excel

Middle English excellen, from Latin excellere, from ex- + -cellere to rise, project; akin to Latin collis hill — more at hill

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

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excel Synonyms

Synonyms

beat, better, eclipse, exceed, surpass, outclass, outdistance, outdo, outgun, outmatch, outshine, outstrip, overtop, top, tower (over), transcend

Related Words

one-up, outpace, outrace, outrun, overpass; best, clobber, conquer, crush, defeat, drub, lick, master, outcompete, outperform, overcome, overmatch, prevail (over), rout, shame, skunk, subdue, surmount, thrash, trim, triumph (over), trounce, wallop, whip, win (against), worst; outbalance, outweigh, overbear, overshadow, trump

Near Antonyms

lose (to)

Synonym Discussion of excel

exceed, surpass, transcend, excel, outdo, outstrip mean to go or be beyond a stated or implied limit, measure, or degree. exceed implies going beyond a limit set by authority or established by custom or by prior achievement.

- exceed the speed limit

surpass suggests superiority in quality, merit, or skill.

- the book surpassed our expectations

transcend implies a rising or extending notably above or beyond ordinary limits.

- transcended the values of their culture

excel implies preeminence in achievement or quality and may suggest superiority to all others.

- excels in mathematics

outdo applies to a bettering or exceeding what has been done before.

- outdid herself this time

outstrip suggests surpassing in a race or competition.

- outstripped other firms in sales

EXCEL Defined for English Language Learners

excel

play

verb

Definition of excel for English Language Learners

: to be better than others
: to be or do better than (others)

EXCEL Defined for Kids

excel

play

verb ex·cel \ ik-ˈsel \

Definition of excel for Students

excelled; excelling

:to do better than others :surpass

She excelled at running.

Learn More about excel

See words that rhyme with excel Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for excel Spanish Central: Translation of excel Nglish: Translation of excel for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of excel for Arabic speakers

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Origin and Etymology of excel

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Synonym Discussion of excel

EXCEL Defined for English Language Learners

excel

Definition of excel for English Language Learners

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