as in surpasses
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 excels
Shanahan excels as his offense’s designer, playcaller and top teacher of coaches and players.
—
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025
The nonstick, pre-seasoned skillet heats quickly and evenly, and excels at frying eggs, searing meats, sautéeing vegetables, baking cornbread and cobblers, and so much more.
—Mark Marino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 Oct. 2025
Chalotra still excels at giving Yennefer a desperate rage that makes her sorceress scenes visceral and exciting.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
That being said, there’s more going on here than shock value, as Franju’s film also excels as a beautifully shot work of art and as a haunting meditation on identity.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Cofta excels at sweet sexy screwball characters such as Carol.
—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
The power forward excels at creating space and in transition, a player who can score as a runner and is a vertical threat with rebounding skills.
—Janis Carr, Oc Register, 27 Oct. 2025
That said, Perplexity excels at search in most cases.
—PC Magazine, 25 Oct. 2025
These are the things that matter to Trump, and Posobiec excels at them—as did Kirk.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025
The nonstick, pre-seasoned skillet heats quickly and evenly, and excels at frying eggs, searing meats, sautéeing vegetables, baking cornbread and cobblers, and so much more.
—Mark Marino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 Oct. 2025
Chalotra still excels at giving Yennefer a desperate rage that makes her sorceress scenes visceral and exciting.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
That being said, there’s more going on here than shock value, as Franju’s film also excels as a beautifully shot work of art and as a haunting meditation on identity.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Cofta excels at sweet sexy screwball characters such as Carol.
—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
The power forward excels at creating space and in transition, a player who can score as a runner and is a vertical threat with rebounding skills.
—Janis Carr, Oc Register, 27 Oct. 2025
That said, Perplexity excels at search in most cases.
—PC Magazine, 25 Oct. 2025
These are the things that matter to Trump, and Posobiec excels at them—as did Kirk.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excels
Verb
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That will be followed by Study 02 next year featuring different hardware using stainless steel with 18-karat gold plating sourced from China, where Canadas contended hardware technology surpasses European alternatives.—
Ritu Upadhyay,
Footwear News,
3 Nov. 2025
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Though both of these James Whale masterpieces hold up remarkably well, the 1935 sequel surpasses the original Frankenstein — itself a great movie — in terms of style.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But the two have racked up an astronomical, nine-figure legal bill that far exceeds any reasonable amount the two may have needed for their defense, the bank said in a court filing late Friday.—
Ken Sweet,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
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The young girls are going back to their remote mountain village to take part in the perilous harvest of the yarsagumba, a rare creature, half mushroom, half insect, whose value exceeds that of gold.—
Annika Pham,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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One team tops the current odds for Morant's new team, and that is the Sacramento Kings.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Mamdani will lead a city of over 8 million people, the capital of media, finance and much else, whose annual budget tops $116 billion, after outmaneuvering rivals with decades more experience in a race that captured national attention.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Cotton also eclipses natural fibers like wool (3 percent) and hemp (1 percent).—
Catherine Salfino,
Sourcing Journal,
7 Oct. 2025
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The central performance never eclipses the movie.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excels. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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