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
Only 15 games into his season due to a hamstring injury that bumped back his debut, Stowers provides adequate defense while excelling as a hitter.
—
Miami Herald, 8 May 2026
At Dr Triplett’s, Olise was excelling in every sport, a cross-country running champion for the London borough of Hillingdon, a district sports gold medallist in the 400m and a talented cricketer.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 6 May 2026
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
Miami Herald, 8 May 2026
At Dr Triplett’s, Olise was excelling in every sport, a cross-country running champion for the London borough of Hillingdon, a district sports gold medallist in the 400m and a talented cricketer.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 6 May 2026
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
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 newest member of the Dream became the fastest player in WNBA history to record 50 career double-doubles during Saturday’s season-opening win over the Minnesota Lynx, surpassing a mark previously held by WNBA legend Tina Charles.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
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Then, in 2017, Tesla mainstreamed the Model S with the more affordable Model 3, surpassing the erstwhile eco-warrior favorite Prius.—
Brooke Crothers,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Celebrini, 19, finished fourth in the NHL with 115 points, eclipsing Joe Thornton’s single-season team record of 114 set in 2006-07.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
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Restaurants reigned as Amex’s single biggest travel and entertainment spending category coming out of COVID, rising from a distant third two years before, and eclipsing the traditional leaders, hotels and airfare.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Verb
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In 2026, the pace of deals has kicked into overdrive, with Nvidia already topping $40 billion in commitments and expanding its portfolio to include more public equities.—
Kristina Partsinevelos,Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
9 May 2026
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This season, however, most cases have been found in the country’s central region, with the province of Buenos Aires topping the highest number of cases with 42.—
Gonzalo Zegarra,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excelling. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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