as in extra
being over what is needed
any excess food from the party will be donated to a shelter for the homeless
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in surplus
the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed
a new television season with an excess of sitcoms featuring wisecracking teenagers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in excessiveness
a propensity for extremes in one's actions, beliefs, or habits
the wretched excess that is so often found in the world of show business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to lay off
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of excess
Allison Stewart, chicagotribune.com, 11 July 2019
Meacham is a nonideological historian and McGraw is a country star, two professions that were built for caution, something McGraw occasionally takes to excess.
—Allison Stewart, chicagotribune.com, 11 July 2019
Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 June 2025
Whether excess fluoride is actually the cause is also unclear.
—Julie Scott, Verywell Health, 28 June 2025
The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 17 June 2025
Just after the plant finishes blooming, prune excess growth back to 6 inches.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for excess
Adjective
Meacham is a nonideological historian and McGraw is a country star, two professions that were built for caution, something McGraw occasionally takes to excess.
—Allison Stewart, chicagotribune.com, 11 July 2019
Meacham is a nonideological historian and McGraw is a country star, two professions that were built for caution, something McGraw occasionally takes to excess.
—Allison Stewart, chicagotribune.com, 11 July 2019
Noun
Remove any excess grease, then use your bristle brush to do a preliminary scrub of the cold grill grates.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 June 2025
Whether excess fluoride is actually the cause is also unclear.
—Julie Scott, Verywell Health, 28 June 2025
Verb
Yet the Iceland international midfielder quickly came to be seen as a symbol of the regime’s financial excess and muddled thinking.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 17 June 2025
Just after the plant finishes blooming, prune excess growth back to 6 inches.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for excess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excess
Adjective
-
Both could conceivably take PSG to extra time and/or PKs, where anything could happen.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
-
Use the extra time of a holiday weekend for a quick jaunt in Leucadia — one that offers coastal views and a couple tough uphill climbs.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
Speaking on Monday at Bloomberg’s Future of Finance in Ireland event in Dublin, Donohoe said that the government must use that surplus with an eye on the longer term.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
23 June 2025
-
Meanwhile, the too-young Thunder are too-young no longer, an NBA champion with a surplus of draft capital still to burn.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
23 June 2025
Verb
-
Wells Fargo will lay off 194 bank workers, effective Aug. 23, at 809 W. 4 1/2 St. in Winston-Salem, according to the WARN report filed Thursday with the North Carolina Department of Commerce.—
Catherine Muccigrosso,
Charlotte Observer,
30 June 2025
-
The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) is set to lay off or buy out roughly one-third of its unionized staff, the Vancouver Sun reports.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
Everyone’s here to make one another better, to share tidbits of information, spare knowledge, and that’s the coolest part for me.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
27 June 2025
-
These forms are complemented by their spare use of textiles like velvet and silk, which soften the clean lines of the collection.—
Adrian Madlener,
Curbed,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
At least one department, the Department of Veterans Affairs, has massively scaled back a plan to sack more than 76,000 employees.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
10 July 2025
-
On a stroll through New York City yesterday, Hathaway’s outfit offered a fun solution for not sacking off your denim in the high summer heat just yet.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
10 July 2025
Verb
-
Some might have trimmed guest lists — not for space, but to cut the grocery bill.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 July 2025
-
Jon Hart serape tour tote Whataburger's Jon Hart tour tote is stadium compliant in clear plastic, trimmed in all-natural leather and sporting serape webbing handles.—
Alexis Simmerman,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Verb
-
Why are passengers required to remove their shoes at security checkpoints?—
Diana Leyva,
The Tennessean,
8 July 2025
-
Earlier this year, Republican lawmakers introduced legislation to remove the Johnson Amendment.—
Fatima Hussein,
Chicago Tribune,
8 July 2025
Verb
-
The brothers have brought over recipes from their family bakery in Turkey and downsized each pastry, from chocolate éclairs to cream buns, into bite-size portions.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Footwear News,
28 June 2025
-
The administration is already defending itself in more than 400 challenges to Trump’s sweeping efforts to downsize and reshape the federal government, swiftly deport migrants, end diversity initiatives, impose tariffs and go after adversaries.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excess. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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