excels

verb

present tense third-person singular of excel
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 excels For example, if one team member excels at strategizing while another is more focused on details, these traits can be aligned to ensure the team works harmoniously. — Karla Vallecillo, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026 Orkin bed bug control services Bed bug treatment is challenging, but something that Orkin excels at. — Alora Bopray, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026 Best Freestanding Shoe Rack From pots and pans racks to a rolling bathroom organizer, Yamakazi excels in organization. — Lauren Arzbaecher, Architectural Digest, 9 Sep. 2026 Tonga, the sixth-year pro who helped the New England Patriots return to the Super Bowl last season, excels at taking on double teams. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 7 Sep. 2026 Google said the model excels at coding and on some benchmarks, its performance equalled that of larger models from rival AI companies, but completed them at a much lower cost. — Wen Shao, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026 Robinson and Uche are the top two players in this unit, but Miami needs to add an edge who excels at setting the edge, which is why Ojabo and Ferrell survive the first round of cuts. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026 China excels in hardware China has plenty of humanoid robots to work with. — Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Aug. 2026 By contrast, Rubio’s role as Secretary of State keeps him in the public eye and largely above the partisan scrum Vance excels at but can also turn off voters. — Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 28 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excels
  1. surpasses
  2. exceeds
  3. tops
  4. eclipses
Verb
  • In recent years, Hinton, who previously worked at Google, has issued a series of warnings about existential risks associated with AI, particularly if an AI model surpasses human intelligence and becomes autonomous.
    — Katie McQue, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Money put into the fund will also not count towards a state spending limit created in the 1970s that requires the Legislature take certain actions — including refunding taxpayers — if the California’s budget surpasses a certain spending limit.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of surpasses
Verb
  • Luxury tax payrolls determine whether a team exceeds the league’s luxury tax threshold and owes financial penalties.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Still, her knack for collecting polished, easy-to-style shoes that are comfortable enough to stand in all day exceeds even my own abilities.
    — Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of exceeds
Verb
  • Vidio’s original slate now tops 110 series, and the platform carries more than 70 global and national sports competitions, among them Wimbledon, Formula 1 and MotoGP.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Tackling gas prices, high cost of living California has some of the highest housing and energy costs in the nation, and affordability tops the list of concerns for likely voters.
    — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of tops
Verb
  • The find eclipses the previous record holder — a roughly 14-pound Terslev hoard — and weighs nearly three times as much.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Prima Facie is the kind of film in which the central performance eclipses the whole.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of eclipses

Browse Nearby Words

excelling
excels
except
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Cite this Entry

“Excels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excels. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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