surfeit

noun

sur·feit | \ ˈsər-fət

Definition of surfeit

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an overabundant supply : excess

2 : an intemperate or immoderate indulgence in something (such as food or drink)

3 : disgust caused by excess

surfeit

verb

surfeited; surfeiting; surfeits

Definition of surfeit (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to feed, supply, or give to surfeit

intransitive verb

archaic : to indulge to satiety in a gratification (such as indulgence of the appetite or senses)

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Choose the Right Synonym for surfeit

Verb

satiate, sate, surfeit, cloy, pall, glut, gorge mean to fill to repletion. satiate and sate may sometimes imply only complete satisfaction but more often suggest repletion that has destroyed interest or desire. years of globe-trotting had satiated their interest in travel readers were sated with sensationalistic stories surfeit implies a nauseating repletion. surfeited themselves with junk food cloy stresses the disgust or boredom resulting from such surfeiting. sentimental pictures that cloy after a while pall emphasizes the loss of ability to stimulate interest or appetite. a life of leisure eventually begins to pall glut implies excess in feeding or supplying. a market glutted with diet books gorge suggests glutting to the point of bursting or choking. gorged themselves with chocolate

Examples of surfeit in a Sentence

Noun

ended up with a surfeit of volunteers who simply got in each other's way

Verb

having surfeited ourselves on raw oysters, we had to decline the rest of the restaurant's offerings

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

For the larger part of the game, there is a surfeit of resources, which limits the scope for interesting tactical blocking moves. — Tom Mendelsohn, Ars Technica, "Altiplano review: A brain-tickling board game about… alpacas," 14 July 2018 In three Orange County districts, a surfeit of enthusiastic candidates and conflicting messages from Democratic organizations and allies have converged to complicate the party’s road to victory. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Why Virginia’s Medicaid expansion is a big deal," 31 May 2018 This year, Leonard Bernstein, born 100 years ago come August, is the primary focus of such offerings—a surfeit of them, in fact. — David Mermelstein, WSJ, "‘Debussy: His First Performers’ Review: Rare Restoration," 19 June 2018 But there’s a surfeit of talent at the door that wants to work here. — Peter Kafka, Recode, "Here’s what HBO’s new boss really said about the company’s plans under AT&T," 10 July 2018 The property market has fallen a little closer to Earth: prices dropped by 9% between September and January, largely because of a surfeit of pricey new flats. — The Economist, "Giddy property prices are a test for Swedish policymakers," 21 June 2018 Sullivan fills the show with sugar-a surfeit of sweet, innocent, very hummable tunes—and then Gilbert sprinkles on lots of salt, barbed lyrics that wittily undercut Sullivan's sentimentality. — Jack Helbig, Chicago Reader, "After 139 years, Pirates of Penzance is still a satisfying combination of sweet and salty," 27 June 2018 And Trump showered a surfeit of praise on the gulag operator. — Andrew Malcolm, SFChronicle.com, "An inside look at the Trump-Kim summit," 21 June 2018 Finally, a key oil variety from Russia, the world’s No. 1 producer, hit its highest discount to Brent in six years, according to S&P Global Platts, as buyers saw a surfeit of similar grades. — Spencer Jakab, WSJ, "Wacky Prices Pinch Oil Producers’ Profits," 31 May 2018

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