as in overcoming
to achieve a victory over
an Olympic swimmer who surmounted endless obstacles to achieve her goals
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Recent Examples of surmounting
Thanks to older siblings and friends, permissive parents, fake IDs, and unethical sellers, some young people have always found ways to evade these bans, and similar tactics could work for surmounting a social-media ban as well.
—
Keith Humphreys, The Atlantic, 2 Feb. 2026
But the eye-watering stake only led to 18 sales, averaging out at $1,500 each, surmounting to only $27,000.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
While the Seaquarium location on paper offers nothing but financial upside for Martin — a development site facing Biscayne Bay just minutes from downtown Miami — building there will require surmounting a string of legal hurdles.
—Pedro Portal, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
However, mining Greenland’s rare earths on an industrial scale would require surmounting staggering challenges.
—Glenn Zorpette, IEEE Spectrum, 9 Jan. 2025
Keith Humphreys, The Atlantic, 2 Feb. 2026
But the eye-watering stake only led to 18 sales, averaging out at $1,500 each, surmounting to only $27,000.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
While the Seaquarium location on paper offers nothing but financial upside for Martin — a development site facing Biscayne Bay just minutes from downtown Miami — building there will require surmounting a string of legal hurdles.
—Pedro Portal, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
However, mining Greenland’s rare earths on an industrial scale would require surmounting staggering challenges.
—Glenn Zorpette, IEEE Spectrum, 9 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surmounting
Verb
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For me, Gregg’s incredible voice resonates not just in his music but in his humanity, in overcoming the murder of his father, the early death of his brother Duane, and his personal demons.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2026
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The first step to overcoming a fear of abandonment can look like opening up to your partner about your concerns.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Koda Holeman opened the match by defeating Jeremiah Reno by technical fall 17-2.—
Michael Harley,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
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The Senate approved its version (SB 7040) by a largely partisan vote of 29-10, after defeating a Democratic amendment to restrict the spending to genuine disasters.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Participating from the original sessions were Earle Mankey, the first engineer at Brother Studio in the 1970s; John Hanlon, the second engineer for those same recordings; and mastering engineer Jeff Peters, who first put the mixes to vinyl.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
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Liu skated on, mastering her jumps and repeating as national champion in 2020, though age restrictions prevented her from entering international competitions.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Also on Tuesday, Indivisible CT is conducting an anti-ICE rally on the state Capitol lawn, taking political aim at a federal agency that has fallen sharply out of public favor after killing two American citizens in Minnesota and roughing up scores of others.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
17 Feb. 2026
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The European Union’s first offshore carbon storage facility, taking emissions from Denmark and injecting them into the seabed below the North Sea, is due to start operating by mid-2026.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Basically, look for a design that looks like as though was made for walking in the Mediterranean, but also for conquering the city streets.—
Alex Sales,
Glamour,
14 Feb. 2026
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Before 1946, conquering disease would have seemed as much a subject of science fiction as putting a man on the moon.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Scottie Barnes won the opening 12-minute game for the Stars with a game-ending 3-pointer in overtime, beating the World 37-36 after Edwards forced OT.—
Greg Beacham,
Twin Cities,
16 Feb. 2026
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Shooting and beating American citizens in the streets, demolishing history, covering up obvious crimes, threatening our allies, targeting political adversaries and using the office for personal enrichment are just a few things that have occurred and gone unchecked by powers that control Congress.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surmounting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmounting. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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