as in surpassed
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 excelled
Martin, who excelled at Johnson for two seasons, would also be an instant offensive threat.
—
Colby Gordon, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
Today's launch was a significant step forward for Firefly, which has excelled in some areas of its space business more than others.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 12 Mar. 2026
But Marsch and Canada’s coaching staff will be confident in the players who have excelled with Davies on the sidelines during the past year.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Apple’s Liquid Retina displays have always excelled for movies and games, and their full sRGB color coverage also helps with work like home photo editing, which the Neo is definitely capable of.
—Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 10 Mar. 2026
Obviously the trio has the Green Bay connection, but the relationship goes a bit further as Willis excelled as the scout team quarterback against Hafley’s defense.
—Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
Here’s who else excelled this week.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
In his work, Aguhar excelled at building bridges between people, between movements and between money and community.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Beyond their performance on the field, the team excelled in their judging session, leaving a strong impression across all categories.
—Dawn Giangiulio, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Colby Gordon, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
Today's launch was a significant step forward for Firefly, which has excelled in some areas of its space business more than others.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 12 Mar. 2026
But Marsch and Canada’s coaching staff will be confident in the players who have excelled with Davies on the sidelines during the past year.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Apple’s Liquid Retina displays have always excelled for movies and games, and their full sRGB color coverage also helps with work like home photo editing, which the Neo is definitely capable of.
—Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 10 Mar. 2026
Obviously the trio has the Green Bay connection, but the relationship goes a bit further as Willis excelled as the scout team quarterback against Hafley’s defense.
—Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
Here’s who else excelled this week.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
In his work, Aguhar excelled at building bridges between people, between movements and between money and community.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Beyond their performance on the field, the team excelled in their judging session, leaving a strong impression across all categories.
—Dawn Giangiulio, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excelled
Verb
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A week before the first round of the conference tournament, the event already surpassed its ticket sales from 2025.—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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Though he's been inconsistent throughout his career, his best stretches have surpassed what McCarthy has shown on the field.—
Anthony Bettin,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The seamless cooperation between the two allies has exceeded expectations.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued the warning because the bacteria levels exceeded state health standards.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That’s equivalent to Dak Prescott’s $60 million being eclipsed by a $90 million quarterback.—
Jacob Robinson,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
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That broke the previous record of 280,000 held by Tijuana’s Grupo Firme — and also eclipsed the attendance at Zócalo shows by Paul McCartney, Shakira, Roger Waters, Rosalía and Justin Bieber.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In addition to 19,271 ballots cast early at in-person polling locations and 13,324 ballots received so far by mail, the county had topped 50,000 votes and counting on Tuesday afternoon, according to the numbers provided by Cunningham.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
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Inflation as measured by the separate Consumer Price Index topped 9% that month, the fastest pace since 1981, when the Fed was in the process of taming an even worse unmooring of prices.—
Howard Schneider,
USA Today,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excelled. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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