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
In fact, Landwehr has always been known as a fighter who excels in getting beaten up and then coming from behind to win.
—
Brett Appley, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2026
Johnson is the rare safety that excels as both, and has all the makings of being an NFL draft pick next year.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026
The Toyota Corolla Cross is a subcompact SUV that excels as a practical and budget-friendly vehicle.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
The model, Claude Mythos, excels at identifying weaknesses and security flaws within software, and Anthropic is limiting access to try to prevent bad actors from exploiting that capability, the company said.
—Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
The picture excels thanks to its brightness and excellent color performance, important qualities for any screen.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
The role excels in area control.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2026
But where this bed really excels above the others is its storage space.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 3 Apr. 2026
Orkin bed bug control Bed bug treatment is challenging, but something that Orkin excels at.
—Alora Bopray, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
Brett Appley, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2026
Johnson is the rare safety that excels as both, and has all the makings of being an NFL draft pick next year.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026
The Toyota Corolla Cross is a subcompact SUV that excels as a practical and budget-friendly vehicle.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
The model, Claude Mythos, excels at identifying weaknesses and security flaws within software, and Anthropic is limiting access to try to prevent bad actors from exploiting that capability, the company said.
—Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
The picture excels thanks to its brightness and excellent color performance, important qualities for any screen.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
The role excels in area control.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2026
But where this bed really excels above the others is its storage space.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 3 Apr. 2026
Orkin bed bug control Bed bug treatment is challenging, but something that Orkin excels at.
—Alora Bopray, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excels
Verb
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The math — earning back money that equals or surpasses the card's annual cost — often works out.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
5 Apr. 2026
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Senate Bill 516 would set the rate at 5 cents if the bottle redemption rate — the number of containers returned divided by the number sold — of the state, or any distributor, surpasses 100% in 2026.—
Angela Eichhorst,
Hartford Courant,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The amount of warm water available for this year’s event exceeds that in 1997-98, which was among the strongest El Niño events of the century, said Paul Roundy, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Albany.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
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That savings program is supposed to be used to build reserves and reduce Connecticut’s considerable pension debt, which still exceeds $33 billion, according to the governor’s budget office.—
Laura Tillman,
Hartford Courant,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In national news, Univision still tops Telemundo.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
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The tumult comes after the Anthropic disclosed this week that its revenue run rate now tops $30 billion, up from $9 billion at the end of 2025.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The moon eclipses the sun in a view captured by the Artemis II crew on Monday.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
7 Apr. 2026
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If China finally eclipses the United States as the world’s preeminent scientific superpower, there won’t be an official announcement.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excels. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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