surfeit 1 of 2

Definition of surfeitnext

surfeit

2 of 2

verb

as in to glut
to fill with food to capacity having surfeited ourselves on raw oysters, we had to decline the rest of the restaurant's offerings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word surfeit different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of surfeit are cloy, glut, gorge, pall, sate, and satiate. While all these words mean "to fill to repletion," surfeit implies a nauseating repletion.

surfeited themselves with junk food

When could cloy be used to replace surfeit?

While in some cases nearly identical to surfeit, cloy stresses the disgust or boredom resulting from such surfeiting.

sentimental pictures that cloy after a while

In what contexts can glut take the place of surfeit?

While the synonyms glut and surfeit are close in meaning, glut implies excess in feeding or supplying.

a market glutted with diet books

Where would gorge be a reasonable alternative to surfeit?

Although the words gorge and surfeit have much in common, gorge suggests glutting to the point of bursting or choking.

gorged themselves with chocolate

When might pall be a better fit than surfeit?

The synonyms pall and surfeit are sometimes interchangeable, but pall emphasizes the loss of ability to stimulate interest or appetite.

a life of leisure eventually begins to pall

How do satiate and sate relate to one another, in the sense of surfeit?

Both satiate and sate may sometimes imply only complete satisfaction but more often suggest repletion that has destroyed interest or desire.

years of globe-trotting had satiated their interest in travel
readers were sated with sensationalistic stories

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 surfeit
Noun
Both men marveled at the surfeit of shovels stacked by the door. Howard Halle, ARTnews.com, 10 Apr. 2026 The President and the explorer share a few traits, including a surfeit of self confidence. Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2026
Verb
Here are his first eight lines, in English and Hungarian (thanks to Ádám Nádasdy): Orsino If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it, that surfeiting The appetite may sicken and so die. Literary Hub, 22 Apr. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for surfeit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surfeit
Noun
  • Minnesota is currently working with a small $3 billion surplus.
    Mary Murphy, Twin Cities, 9 June 2026
  • When a seller prices tickets below what the market would bear, the surplus doesn’t disappear, but rather, moves into queues, bots, and resale platforms.
    Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • The walls are glutted with oil portraits, and antiques sourced from l’Isle-sur-Sorgue are the real thing; staff are dressed in somewhat cumbersome costume (medieval-style bodices and straw boaters) but ever attentive.
    Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026
  • It’s glutted with supporting characters, and the plot still eddies through a series of clearly episodic incidents.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The three host nations of the World Cup – Canada, Mexico and the United States – are home to around 200,000 ultra-high net worth individuals, those sitting on fortunes in excess of $30 million.
    Stefan Szymanski, Fortune, 12 June 2026
  • Fox also has said the play’s politics are intentionally elusive, but its main target is identity-politics excesses.
    Frank DiGiacomo, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • The big one is preferred stock, a source for buying Bitcoin that Saylor’s been gorging on since early 2025.
    Shawn Tully, Fortune, 9 June 2026
  • The Raiders gorged in a different way, blowing the center market out of the water with a massive, $27 million per year contract for Baltimore’s Tyler Linderbaum and rocketing toward the top of the league in money spent.
    Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Marinated tofu pockets are stuffed with rich crab meat and fried twice to achieve a thin and crispy shell that perfectly complements the crab meat inside.
    Aly Walansky, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
  • Tillman stuffed his stat line with an assist, two shots on target, two interceptions and four fouls drawn in 81 minutes.
    Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2026
Verb
  • Her fans, many sporting sheer red gloves, cat ears and varying levels of undress, were eager to be sated and reacted as if their souls were being saved within seconds of the start of each of the 23 songs Grande performed.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 7 June 2026
  • As a horrified Sam inadvertently observes, a creature has been sating itself on his buddy’s brain.
    Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Surfeit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surfeit. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.

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