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
Harris not only excels on the oval, but also on the gridiron.
—
Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
Why The Trifle Is The Best Party Dessert Enter the chocolate trifle, a beloved Southern staple, courtesy of a good friend who excels at hospitality but values shortcuts.
—Kathryn Streeter, Southern Living, 29 May 2026
The service Kimpton generally excels at approachable service, and Hotel Monaco follows that formula well.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 May 2026
Living the Dream excels at emergent storytelling and humor.
—Jason Bennett, Arkansas Online, 24 May 2026
Two months ago, Bericoto received the Barney Nugent Award that goes to a Giant who excels in his first major league camp.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 23 May 2026
Similarly, Bonmati excels in finals.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Instead, the property excels at creating moments of stillness and connection that resonate long after checkout.
—Corein Carter, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
There isn’t an experienced edge player on the Dolphins roster who excels at setting an edge, which is critical if a defense is going to be firm against the run.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
Why The Trifle Is The Best Party Dessert Enter the chocolate trifle, a beloved Southern staple, courtesy of a good friend who excels at hospitality but values shortcuts.
—Kathryn Streeter, Southern Living, 29 May 2026
The service Kimpton generally excels at approachable service, and Hotel Monaco follows that formula well.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 May 2026
Living the Dream excels at emergent storytelling and humor.
—Jason Bennett, Arkansas Online, 24 May 2026
Two months ago, Bericoto received the Barney Nugent Award that goes to a Giant who excels in his first major league camp.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 23 May 2026
Similarly, Bonmati excels in finals.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Instead, the property excels at creating moments of stillness and connection that resonate long after checkout.
—Corein Carter, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
There isn’t an experienced edge player on the Dolphins roster who excels at setting an edge, which is critical if a defense is going to be firm against the run.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excels
Verb
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The former controller of fiction at the BBC adds that the breadth of the TOBS fan base surpasses Downton.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2026
-
Top graded Pomona College ( A+) has UNAEP to expenses of over 600% and Grinnell College in Iowa’s ratio surpasses 1,000%.—
Matt Schifrin,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
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During this transition, plants tend to experience water stress, as the rate of water leaving the leaves exceeds uptake by the roots.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
29 May 2026
-
That exceeds any decline during the pandemic in 2020 and marks the biggest one-day drop on AAA data since November 22, 2008, amid the Great Recession.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The home run Friday was her 15th of the season, tops in the section.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
-
Driven by persistent inflation, uncertain interest rates, fluctuations in energy markets, and intensifying regional conflicts, as well as unpredictable global trade policies, economic volatility tops their list—not a surprise considering the current uncertainty in the geopolitical landscape.—
Jim DeLoach,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Leapfrogs OpenAI With the latest funding round, which was led by Altimeter Capital, Dragoneer, Greenoaks and Sequoia Capital, Anthropic eclipses OpenAI in valuation for the first time.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
-
Paxton, for his part, says his work leading Texas in lawsuits against Democrats and their policies in Washington eclipses Cornyn's long tenure in office.—
Claudia Grisales,
NPR,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excels. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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