excelling

verb

present participle of excel
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 Ultimately, products excelling in these areas and built AI-native from inception are poised to drive future enterprise value. — Joe Toscano, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 Willis grew up as a dancer, excelling in ballet, contemporary, jazz and hip-hop, and dancing competitively at a private studio and throughout high school. — Gustavo Turner, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2026 In Atlanta, rookie shortstop Jim Jarvis has been excelling in his first opportunity in the big leagues. — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 24 July 2026 Ross has been a reliable purveyor of opulent vacation rap, excelling at the kind of empty-calorie singles that go down smooth and leave no real lasting impact. — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 July 2026 The emotional pain can be especially acute when someone’s self-identity rested on excelling in a sport or a professional role. — ABC News, 13 July 2026 Jorgenson remains one of the Tour’s rare talents, excelling in mountain stages, time trials, tactical races and breakaways. — Idaho Statesman, 30 June 2026 Naperville is known for excelling. — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026 Lindsay and Kyle are both made for this medium and have been excelling at it for the better part of a decade. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 17 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excelling
  1. exceeding
  2. surpassing
  3. eclipsing
  4. topping
Verb
  • Flights over the Nazca Lines departing from the nearby Maria Reiche Airport had been suspended on Friday due to winds exceeding 25 mph, which kicked up dust ⁠and ​reduced visibility.
    — Joe Kottke, NBC news, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The reactor was heated to temperatures exceeding 800 degrees Celsius (1,472 degrees Fahrenheit) before reaching zero-power criticality.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 31 July 2026
Definition of exceeding
Verb
  • But this month, Apple became the world’s most valuable company, surpassing the chipmaker.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
  • In 2024, its revenue hit $107 billion, surpassing Tesla for the first time.
    — Sajal Singh, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of surpassing
Verb
  • The evidence is already in the revenue per employee data, which is eclipsing every historical benchmark.
    — Michael Wee, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • With all the attention expected to be placed on all 6 feet 5 and 350 pounds of Dexter Lawrence eclipsing the center, the uncertainty around what all these edges will be doing could produce a much higher percentage of one-on-one opportunities.
    — Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of eclipsing
Verb
  • In addition to releasing music as the frontman of chart-topping Irish rock band the Frames, Hansard joined creative forces with Czech singer-songwriter Markéta Irglová under the name the Swell Season.
    — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 31 July 2026
  • Nothing is topping that 2016 title or the sheer volume of LeBron’s statistics, but helping the Knicks end a 54-year streak would have been an accomplishment befitting James’ career.
    — Dan Woike, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of topping

Browse Nearby Words

excellently
excelling
excels
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Excelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excelling. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on excelling

Nglish: Translation of excelling for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of torpor

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All