surplus

1 of 2

noun

sur·​plus ˈsər-(ˌ)pləs How to pronounce surplus (audio)
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

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
Who knew a surplus of maple syrup could lead to such a Sticky situation? Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 28 Oct. 2024 Three companies in the sector had financial firepower to do so courtesy of funding surpluses for their frozen pension plans as of the end of 2023, according to financial statements: Textron, Huntington Ingalls and L3Harris. Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024
Adjective
The United States has obligingly shipped hundreds of surplus M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles in order to keep the 47th Mechanized Brigade’s assault battalions fully equipped with modern vehicles despite those battalions suffering heavy losses. David Axe, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024 The White House is effectively drawing down surplus weapons, and signaling its intentions to replace those weapons in U.S. stockpiles, well ahead of Ukraine’s actual need for the surplus weapons. David Axe, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for surplus 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'surplus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of surplus was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near surplus

Cite this Entry

“Surplus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surplus. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

surplus

noun
sur·​plus ˈsər-(ˌ)pləs How to pronounce surplus (audio)
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 How to pronounce surplus (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on surplus

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