as in exceeding
to be greater, better, or stronger than
the special effects in this new sci-fi extravaganza excel any that we've seen previously
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Recent Examples of excelling
Throughout the school year, CBS Colorado honors high school students who are excelling the science, technology, engineering and math, STEM.
—
Libby Smith, CBS News, 1 May 2026
Still, Coe was excelling as a songwriter.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
With Coker excelling in the slot and McMillan handling the X position, Legette and Brazzell could find themselves in a pretty notable camp competition, along with Metchie, Horn and Brycen Tremayne.
—Charlotte Observer, 25 Apr. 2026
His kids started in the Mansfield school district and are excelling in the classroom.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2026
Or without fellow championship holdovers like Derrick White and Payton Pritchard excelling in their supporting roles.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
But after excelling in soccer, those interests went unexplored.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
Linus Karlsson Karlsson was the best Canucks forward this season, excelling as a two-way contributor and point producer in a depth role during a lost season.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Third Future has established a reputation across its 12 campuses for excelling at improving student outcomes.
—Noah Alcala Bach, San Antonio Express-News, 24 Mar. 2026
Libby Smith, CBS News, 1 May 2026
Still, Coe was excelling as a songwriter.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
With Coker excelling in the slot and McMillan handling the X position, Legette and Brazzell could find themselves in a pretty notable camp competition, along with Metchie, Horn and Brycen Tremayne.
—Charlotte Observer, 25 Apr. 2026
His kids started in the Mansfield school district and are excelling in the classroom.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2026
Or without fellow championship holdovers like Derrick White and Payton Pritchard excelling in their supporting roles.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
But after excelling in soccer, those interests went unexplored.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
Linus Karlsson Karlsson was the best Canucks forward this season, excelling as a two-way contributor and point producer in a depth role during a lost season.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Third Future has established a reputation across its 12 campuses for excelling at improving student outcomes.
—Noah Alcala Bach, San Antonio Express-News, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excelling
Verb
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Doe is seeking damages exceeding $75,000, along with other punitive damages and other relief to be determined at trial.—
Lexi Nicklaus,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Apr. 2026
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Both teams had playoff probabilities exceeding 85% just a few weeks ago.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Indiana recruit has set team records for homers in a season with 15, quickly surpassing the 10 hit by 2022 graduate Kiley Conner, and in a career with 28, eclipsing the 24 hit by 2017 graduate Alex Hickey.—
Michael Osipoff,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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Charity is of particular importance to the London Marathon, even compared to other races, as this year’s edition broke yet another record, surpassing $118 million.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
But Deborah’s bitterness is eclipsing everything.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
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The Indiana recruit has set team records for homers in a season with 15, quickly surpassing the 10 hit by 2022 graduate Kiley Conner, and in a career with 28, eclipsing the 24 hit by 2017 graduate Alex Hickey.—
Michael Osipoff,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Some states like California have been seeing prices as high as $6 per gallon over the past several days, while Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Alaska contend with average prices topping $5 per gallon.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
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Bally’s Chicago hosted a topping-off ceremony yesterday marking the placement of the final beam, a milestone signifying the completion of the structural framework.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excelling. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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