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
Inside that costume was Piper Randolph, a first-team All-American junior fencer who excelled in the Pan-American Cadet Championships.
—
Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
Johnson has excelled for her hometown program scoring 28 points in back-to-back wins over Georgia and Iowa.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2026
Eventually, we were brought into the soundstage where a hype man impressively excelled in the thankless task of keeping the energy high.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026
The Lakers had Jackson, the Dodgers have Roberts — championship players who’ve excelled as managers of men.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team of in-house writers and editors, as well as contributors, along with special consideration from dermatologists.
—Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 23 Mar. 2026
Student of the Week offers schools the chance to celebrate teens who have placed in an art, dance or music competition, excelled in a science fair, won an essay contest, received a scholarship, were recognized for their volunteer service or have shined in some other way.
—Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Traditionally the Red Sox have excelled at developing position players, and over the years the club’s homegrown standouts have usually been hitters.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
Brents excelled as a spot starter briefly last season before suffering a foot injury that cut his season short.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
Johnson has excelled for her hometown program scoring 28 points in back-to-back wins over Georgia and Iowa.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2026
Eventually, we were brought into the soundstage where a hype man impressively excelled in the thankless task of keeping the energy high.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026
The Lakers had Jackson, the Dodgers have Roberts — championship players who’ve excelled as managers of men.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team of in-house writers and editors, as well as contributors, along with special consideration from dermatologists.
—Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 23 Mar. 2026
Student of the Week offers schools the chance to celebrate teens who have placed in an art, dance or music competition, excelled in a science fair, won an essay contest, received a scholarship, were recognized for their volunteer service or have shined in some other way.
—Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Traditionally the Red Sox have excelled at developing position players, and over the years the club’s homegrown standouts have usually been hitters.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
Brents excelled as a spot starter briefly last season before suffering a foot injury that cut his season short.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excelled
Verb
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The capybara surpassed the typical 10- to 12-year life expectancy for the species in human care.—
Beth Reese Cravey,
Florida Times-Union,
26 Mar. 2026
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Given California’s capital city can hit triple digits and years has on occasion surpassed 110 degrees, the A’s scheduled about as few day games at home as logistically possibly.—
Michael McGough,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
During key periods like the pandemic boom and another surge in 2025, trading card indexes tracking Pokémon sales posted gains that far exceeded the S&P 500's long-term average annual return of 10% to 12%, according to trading card valuation tool Card Ladder.—
Brandon Gomez,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
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While all samples met federal primary drinking water standards for contaminants, such as lead and copper, every site exceeded secondary standards, which are linked to taste, odor, discoloration, and, critically, corrosion in pipes.—
Bridget Shirvell,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This is the 11th time a member of the Colorado Avalanche or Quebec Nordiques has achieved or eclipsed 50 goals in a regular season.—
Jack Lowenstein,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
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In doing so, Doncic eclipsed 15,000 career points, as announced by the Lakers.—
Megan Armstrong,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At the top of the menu is a Turath Latte, made with a special date and spice blend, then topped with cold foam.—
Jenna Thompson
April 1,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Don’t miss the wood oven pizza like the carbonara topped with egg and guanciale.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excelled. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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