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
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
Miami Takes the Top Spot Miami, Florida, ranked as the number one city for food lovers, excelling in both affordability and food diversity.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Ajok’s story is similar to that of Kenyan sprinter Maximila Imali, who showed great promise in track and field and qualified for the 800 meters at the world junior athletics championships, excelling in her heats but falling in the finals.
—Amy Woodyatt, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
From their passion and spirit to excelling in the Teaching as a Profession pathway, these students demonstrate excellence in and out of the classroom and stand out amongst their peers.
—Katie Nixon, Nashville Tennessean, 15 Sep. 2025
From a young age, Emeka showed exceptional talent in sports, excelling in both baseball and football.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
Every improvement has ripple effects, and the challenge lies in finding a solution that works across the board rather than excelling in one area and failing in another.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
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
Miami Takes the Top Spot Miami, Florida, ranked as the number one city for food lovers, excelling in both affordability and food diversity.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Ajok’s story is similar to that of Kenyan sprinter Maximila Imali, who showed great promise in track and field and qualified for the 800 meters at the world junior athletics championships, excelling in her heats but falling in the finals.
—Amy Woodyatt, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
From their passion and spirit to excelling in the Teaching as a Profession pathway, these students demonstrate excellence in and out of the classroom and stand out amongst their peers.
—Katie Nixon, Nashville Tennessean, 15 Sep. 2025
From a young age, Emeka showed exceptional talent in sports, excelling in both baseball and football.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
Every improvement has ripple effects, and the challenge lies in finding a solution that works across the board rather than excelling in one area and failing in another.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excelling
Verb
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The study showed that the robot could make multiple turns exceeding 100 degrees along its body length when activated.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
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But Vrabel’s methods are working, because the Patriots are exceeding expectations and punching above their weight atop the AFC East standings.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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No one goes home this week After surpassing 50 million votes, no one is going home tonight.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
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Morgan Stanley posted a blockbuster third-quarter earnings report on Wednesday, far surpassing analyst expectations and posting its biggest earnings beat in nearly five years.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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The trio have been taking their chart-topping song on the road for live performances on Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Oct. 2025
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Penn State's James Franklin’s recent losses to UCLA and Northwestern earned him a trip to buyout beach — Penn State owes Franklin a buyout topping $49 million, according to his term sheet, the second-largest severance payday in college football history.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excelling. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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