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
Bergvall, despite injuries, has played well for a struggling Tottenham Hotspur team, while Gyokeres, without truly excelling, is part of an Arsenal team flying towards the Premier League title.
—
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Third Future has established a reputation across its 12 campuses for excelling at improving student outcomes.
—Noah Alcala Bach, San Antonio Express-News, 24 Mar. 2026
And Jordan's performances as Smoke and Stack are indeed confident and distinctive, not just in their different sartorial choices but in their mannerisms, with the actor excelling at portraying both Smoke's stoic practicality and Stack's swaggering charm.
—Ken Simmons, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
Flagship smartphones have quietly become capable of astrophotography, with ‘night modes’ often excelling at revealing stars, the Milky Way and aurora.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Eva, 16, and Chase, 10, are excelling at school and the family is saving big.
—Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 7 Mar. 2026
Aubrey Meyer, Colerain High School Aubrey Meyer, a student at Colerain High School, has sought out the most challenging curriculum available, excelling in a full load of Honors and AP courses.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Feb. 2026
But the sight of a Jew excelling in sports is even more than a bit of representational inspiration.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
The truth is, managing a game and operating within a system of offense are two of the most important things about excelling at the most demanding position in professional sports.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Third Future has established a reputation across its 12 campuses for excelling at improving student outcomes.
—Noah Alcala Bach, San Antonio Express-News, 24 Mar. 2026
And Jordan's performances as Smoke and Stack are indeed confident and distinctive, not just in their different sartorial choices but in their mannerisms, with the actor excelling at portraying both Smoke's stoic practicality and Stack's swaggering charm.
—Ken Simmons, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
Flagship smartphones have quietly become capable of astrophotography, with ‘night modes’ often excelling at revealing stars, the Milky Way and aurora.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Eva, 16, and Chase, 10, are excelling at school and the family is saving big.
—Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 7 Mar. 2026
Aubrey Meyer, Colerain High School Aubrey Meyer, a student at Colerain High School, has sought out the most challenging curriculum available, excelling in a full load of Honors and AP courses.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Feb. 2026
But the sight of a Jew excelling in sports is even more than a bit of representational inspiration.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
The truth is, managing a game and operating within a system of offense are two of the most important things about excelling at the most demanding position in professional sports.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excelling
Verb
-
The pair was arrested and charged with burglary and grand theft exceeding $20,000.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Treatment often requires hospitalization; when kidney failure is severe, dialysis is needed, with bills often exceeding $10,000.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The bipedal humanoid, developed by smartphone maker Honor, blazed through the 13-mile race in just 50 minutes, 26 seconds, besting all 12,000 human competitors and even surpassing the human world record for a half-marathon, set by Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon last month, by nearly seven minutes.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
19 Apr. 2026
-
That's led to positive results with the Flames surpassing last year's win total and conference win total early on this season.—
Jori Parys,
CBS News,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
On their record-breaking flyby, the astronauts reached a maximum 252,756 miles from Earth before hanging a U-turn behind the moon, eclipsing Apollo 13‘s distance record.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
-
When our own planet was eclipsing the sun, at least from the Artemis capsule’s point of view, the astronauts saw the agave-green milky glow of the solar atmosphere and its dust, visible around the moon.—
Rebecca Boyle,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Crude prices have surged over 30% since the war broke out, with Brent briefly topping $110 a barrel for the first time in roughly four years, according to LSEG data, before easing on hopes for a breakthrough.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
-
What could be better than topping this with vanilla ice cream?—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excelling. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
