as in surplus
the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed
ended up with a surfeit of volunteers who simply got in each other's way
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Recent Examples of surfeit
Matt Bradley, NBC news, 20 Dec. 2025
From a surfeit of forwards, the Mavs are glaringly lacking in guards.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
But the younger people making theater now are drawn to it now because they’ve been surfeited with digital culture.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for surfeit
Noun
The Islamic State emerged from the ferment of Syria’s civil war in the early 2010s, when Syria’s porous borders and surfeit of Islamist fighters offered fertile recruiting ground for all manner of jihadi groups.
—Matt Bradley, NBC news, 20 Dec. 2025
From a surfeit of forwards, the Mavs are glaringly lacking in guards.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
As a theater critic surfeited with plays, radio dramas worked best for me as an unplanned diversion in my car.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
But the younger people making theater now are drawn to it now because they’ve been surfeited with digital culture.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for surfeit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surfeit
Noun
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But if the sale was conducted fairly and the homeowner received the surplus, that’s all the Constitution requires, according to the department.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
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After that window, if the items go unclaimed, they may be destroyed, turned over to state surplus agencies, or sold as excess property.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This year, holiday gatherings were scrapped, the single father’s Christmas budget was slashed in half, and his credit cards were glutted from months of futile efforts to keep up with the rising cost of living.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
31 Dec. 2025
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The International Energy Agency and other industry experts forecast a supply glut next year, which has been a drag on prices.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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That could bear out to be true if February's losses in the major averages means enough of the AI excess has been flushed out of the stock market, meaning investors feel readier to embrace the trade.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, a touch of caramel follows for a bit of confectionery warmth that feels indulgent without tipping into excess.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And all those who find the Dodgers’ gorging offensive also tend to overlook that their spending provides real benefits as well.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
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Of all the schemes that humans have devised to keep sea lions from gorging on the salmon of the Columbia River basin, none has worked for long.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But when the bus pulled up to a migrant shelter in the border city of Laredo, dropping off a half-dozen families lugging bags stuffed with belongings, the stress of recent weeks tracked mother and daughter like the long shadows on that mid-February afternoon.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
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But when the bus pulled up to a migrant shelter in the border city of Laredo, dropping off a half-dozen families lugging bags stuffed with belongings, the stress of recent weeks tracked mother and daughter like the long shadows on that mid-February afternoon.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At one point, Roen said, officials even tried piling frozen beavers outside the wolves’ den to sate their hunger.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
16 Feb. 2026
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But whether our collective desire has been sated is up for (a lot of) debate.—
Hannah Jocelyn,
New Yorker,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surfeit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surfeit. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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