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
At the time, Barnett was a rising star in the speakers’ circuit because of her son Jacob, a physics wiz with autism who made headlines for excelling at school when experts doubted his abilities.
—
Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 18 Mar. 2025
After excelling in all-Black educational environments, including as an undergraduate at Howard University, Milton Rooks became one of a very small number of Black students to enroll at the Golden Gate University School of Law in the early 1960s.
—Justin Driver, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2025
Yet no biological barriers have been found that prevent women from excelling in space missions, which underscores the importance of equal opportunities.
—Maria Bolevich, Interesting Engineering, 14 Mar. 2025
This reality of corporate life creates both allies and critics simply through the normal course of excelling at your job.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
For students already excelling academically, most summer programs do little to improve their profiles or increase their chances.
—Ray Ravaglia, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
By excelling in performance and demonstrating competence, professionals can position themselves as informal leaders who drive impact and influence without needing to have an official title.
—Tony Gambill, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
The golf pundit rule of thumb on Augusta National has long been that experience is key to excelling.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Those franchises, regardless of market size, should not be punished for excelling at scouting and development.
—Jason Lloyd, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 18 Mar. 2025
After excelling in all-Black educational environments, including as an undergraduate at Howard University, Milton Rooks became one of a very small number of Black students to enroll at the Golden Gate University School of Law in the early 1960s.
—Justin Driver, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2025
Yet no biological barriers have been found that prevent women from excelling in space missions, which underscores the importance of equal opportunities.
—Maria Bolevich, Interesting Engineering, 14 Mar. 2025
This reality of corporate life creates both allies and critics simply through the normal course of excelling at your job.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
For students already excelling academically, most summer programs do little to improve their profiles or increase their chances.
—Ray Ravaglia, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
By excelling in performance and demonstrating competence, professionals can position themselves as informal leaders who drive impact and influence without needing to have an official title.
—Tony Gambill, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
The golf pundit rule of thumb on Augusta National has long been that experience is key to excelling.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Those franchises, regardless of market size, should not be punished for excelling at scouting and development.
—Jason Lloyd, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excelling
Verb
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Winston has continued to provide value in locker rooms despite not exceeding the big expectations that followed the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner to the NFL during his first five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
The Athletic,
22 Mar. 2025
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Developing a liquid metal layer The extreme conditions within a fusion reactor, where super-heated plasma reaches temperatures exceeding those of the sun, pose a significant challenge to material science.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The movie Wicked has officially become the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation in box office history, surpassing the movie musical Mamma Mia.—
George Monastiriakos,
Newsweek,
31 Dec. 2024
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The 2024 edition marks the highest tally of all time, greatly surpassing Barack Obama’s previous record of 95,894 pages.—
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr.,
Forbes,
31 Dec. 2024
Verb
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But it's been about nine years since more than 30,000 backers flocked to the Kickstarter campaign—raising more than $1 million and eclipsing Polygons' $10,000 goal.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
14 Mar. 2025
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Shares are down nearly 12% in 2025, eclipsing the S & P 500′s 5% pullback during that time.—
Sean Conlon,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excelling. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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