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
: 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
Carol VogelLong 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
Mary Kay BlakelySynonyms
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.
Recent Examples on the WebElla Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2024
Reciprocity is not merely generosity; giving away a surplus is an investment, insurance that others will help in your own time of need.
—Kathleen Duval, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
In its previous general revenue forecast May 17, the finance department initially projected a $423.3 million general revenue surplus at the end of fiscal 2024.
—Michael R. Wickline, arkansasonline.com, 2 Apr. 2024
The $2 billion budget includes an $80 million one-time surplus that Budget and Research Director Amber Williamson said was leftover from last year.
—Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 1 Apr. 2024
The aircraft of the day that most barnstormers were flying was the Curtiss Jenny, which was surplus from World War I.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Mar. 2024
In the past, California has used that kind of surplus to balance its budget.
—Adam Beam, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
Since the cars are reserved or used via a booking system, the software developers can clearly define and control when a charging station taps the surplus electricity and when not.
—Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024
But as lawmakers finalize their spending plan for the next fiscal year, some have cautioned that the surplus is largely due to federal pandemic aid.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024
The government had $34 billion of surplus material at the end of the war and sold it in large lots at auctions, where would-be store owners could buy a whole shop’s worth of inventory.
—Charles W. McFarlane, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Like offers from the regulated carriers, Citizens policyholders who receive an offer from a surplus lines carrier within 20% of what Citizens charges would be required to leave Citizens.
—Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2024
The San Diego County Water Authority just entered into negotiations to sell some of its surplus water to the Moulton Niguel Water District in Orange County, which would pay for supplies produced by the desalination plant in Carlsbad.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024
Ultimately, none of the surplus money went to school districts.
—Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2024
Paint them a color that contrasts your bathroom walls for standout style, then fill them with surplus toilet paper or hand towels.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2024
Some, like me, also make surplus orders to cover all the folks who didn't realize Girl Scout cookie season was coming.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024
The state auditors, though, said Visit Anaheim could not demonstrate how much of that money came from surplus tourism public money.
—Michael Slaten, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
Noun
Hillsboro’s preparation left the town with a surplus of 4,000 pairs of safety glasses.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2024
Reciprocity is not merely generosity; giving away a surplus is an investment, insurance that others will help in your own time of need.
—Kathleen Duval, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
In its previous general revenue forecast May 17, the finance department initially projected a $423.3 million general revenue surplus at the end of fiscal 2024.
—Michael R. Wickline, arkansasonline.com, 2 Apr. 2024
The $2 billion budget includes an $80 million one-time surplus that Budget and Research Director Amber Williamson said was leftover from last year.
—Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 1 Apr. 2024
The aircraft of the day that most barnstormers were flying was the Curtiss Jenny, which was surplus from World War I.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Mar. 2024
In the past, California has used that kind of surplus to balance its budget.
—Adam Beam, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
Since the cars are reserved or used via a booking system, the software developers can clearly define and control when a charging station taps the surplus electricity and when not.
—Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024
But as lawmakers finalize their spending plan for the next fiscal year, some have cautioned that the surplus is largely due to federal pandemic aid.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Flooding foreign markets with surplus goods should help ease global inflation.
—David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024
The government had $34 billion of surplus material at the end of the war and sold it in large lots at auctions, where would-be store owners could buy a whole shop’s worth of inventory.
—Charles W. McFarlane, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Like offers from the regulated carriers, Citizens policyholders who receive an offer from a surplus lines carrier within 20% of what Citizens charges would be required to leave Citizens.
—Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2024
The San Diego County Water Authority just entered into negotiations to sell some of its surplus water to the Moulton Niguel Water District in Orange County, which would pay for supplies produced by the desalination plant in Carlsbad.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024
Ultimately, none of the surplus money went to school districts.
—Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2024
Paint them a color that contrasts your bathroom walls for standout style, then fill them with surplus toilet paper or hand towels.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2024
Some, like me, also make surplus orders to cover all the folks who didn't realize Girl Scout cookie season was coming.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024
The state auditors, though, said Visit Anaheim could not demonstrate how much of that money came from surplus tourism public money.
—Michael Slaten, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near surplus
Cite this Entry
“Surplus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surplus. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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