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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of excelling
The investment supports Australia’s goal of excelling in hypersonic flight and building a robust aerospace manufacturing industry.
—
Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
Saeed, the former lead vocalist of Pakistani band Jal, has built a following across South Asia by excelling in both television dramas and music.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
According to the post, though Solimar’s food service was excelling, the extra administrative costs of operating as separate businesses were hard to manage.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025
They are also known for forming strong bonds with their owners and excelling in obedience, agility, and search-and-rescue roles.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Colorado’s Travis Hunter won the award last year as a two-way player, excelling at cornerback and wide receiver.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
Al Najjar is excelling at her craft, and her commitment to the field was recognized earlier this year when she was awarded the 2025-26 California State University Trustees Award for Outstanding Achievement.
—Jenelyn Russo, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025
Across the last three top-flight games, the defence has changed three times — in shape and/or personnel — and another two shutouts have followed, with Malick Thiaw, the summer signing, excelling alongside Botman, and Burn reverting to left-back.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
The Indiana Teacher of the Year program is the state’s top honor for teachers and recognizes current educators who are excelling in their field while encouraging others to join the profession.
—Caroline Beck, IndyStar, 1 Oct. 2025
Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
Saeed, the former lead vocalist of Pakistani band Jal, has built a following across South Asia by excelling in both television dramas and music.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
According to the post, though Solimar’s food service was excelling, the extra administrative costs of operating as separate businesses were hard to manage.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025
They are also known for forming strong bonds with their owners and excelling in obedience, agility, and search-and-rescue roles.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Colorado’s Travis Hunter won the award last year as a two-way player, excelling at cornerback and wide receiver.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
Al Najjar is excelling at her craft, and her commitment to the field was recognized earlier this year when she was awarded the 2025-26 California State University Trustees Award for Outstanding Achievement.
—Jenelyn Russo, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025
Across the last three top-flight games, the defence has changed three times — in shape and/or personnel — and another two shutouts have followed, with Malick Thiaw, the summer signing, excelling alongside Botman, and Burn reverting to left-back.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
The Indiana Teacher of the Year program is the state’s top honor for teachers and recognizes current educators who are excelling in their field while encouraging others to join the profession.
—Caroline Beck, IndyStar, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excelling
Verb
-
The Vietnam National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting warned that coastal areas from Hue to Dak Lak may be hit by waves of up to 26 feet and a storm surge of up to 2 feet in addition to high winds, possibly exceeding 84 miles per hour.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
In addition to earnings-per-share and revenue in the third quarter exceeding expectations, sales and adjusted operating income in the company's biotechnology and diagnostics segments advanced year over year and beat expectations.—
Natasha Abellard,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The 85-point margin of victory marked a Hornets program record, surpassing the 71-point, 86-15 rout of San Francisco State in 1974.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Perez is just 15 home runs shy of surpassing Hall of Famer George Brett (317 homers) for the most in franchise history.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
New York — Build-A-Bear Workshop, the nearly 30-year-old toy brand, is having a breakout moment, eclipsing some of Wall Street’s biggest winners by targeting customers across a broad age range.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Streaming contributed 84,000 stream-equivalent sales to her total this week, eclipsing both Ed Sheeran’s Divide and her own previous studio album The Tortured Poets Department, both of which managed 79,000.—
Thomas Smith,
Billboard,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Companies added 42,000 jobs for the month, following a decline of 29,000 in September and topping the Dow Jones consensus estimate for a gain of 22,000.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Within that, prestige revenue was down 4 percent, just topping $1 billion.—
Footwear News,
Footwear News,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excelling. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share