1
as in exceeds
to be greater, better, or stronger than
she always tried to surpass her older brother at anything he did
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in transcends
to go beyond the limit of
the sales of the band's newest CD have surpassed the combined sales of its last two albums
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 surpasses
Directed by Riteish Deshmukh, the historical epic’s opening weekend surpasses all previous Marathi cinema records.
—
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 May 2026
Charles also said both nations must remain committed to supporting Ukraine as Russia’s full-scale invasion surpasses four years, and underscored how staying within NATO is significant to prevent further tensions between Europe and North America.
—Max Foster, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
Blue Origin, founded and owed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, has landed and reused its smaller New Shepard suborbital booster numerous times, but New Glenn surpasses New Shepard in difficulty and scale.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 19 Apr. 2026
This show, which still prompts belly laughs from my daughter and me even after countless rewatches, meets and surpasses my mother’s bar.
—Jean Garnett, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026
The milestone, reached during an active global security period, surpasses the previous record set in 2020 and highlights the growing operational demands placed on modern naval forces.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 17 Apr. 2026
And every film nerd knows that the production’s depravity and delirium almost surpasses the film’s—Apocalypse Now’s Wikipedia page is as wild as the film itself.
—Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
In areas like health care access, education affordability and public infrastructure, Taiwan rivals or surpasses many G7 nations.
—Michelle Kuo, The Dial, 14 Apr. 2026
Omid, whose English surpasses Marjan’s own level, has excited such hopes, and the touchingly Chekhovian quasi-romance between them adds a gentle note of amorous wistfulness.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 May 2026
Charles also said both nations must remain committed to supporting Ukraine as Russia’s full-scale invasion surpasses four years, and underscored how staying within NATO is significant to prevent further tensions between Europe and North America.
—Max Foster, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
Blue Origin, founded and owed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, has landed and reused its smaller New Shepard suborbital booster numerous times, but New Glenn surpasses New Shepard in difficulty and scale.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 19 Apr. 2026
This show, which still prompts belly laughs from my daughter and me even after countless rewatches, meets and surpasses my mother’s bar.
—Jean Garnett, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026
The milestone, reached during an active global security period, surpasses the previous record set in 2020 and highlights the growing operational demands placed on modern naval forces.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 17 Apr. 2026
And every film nerd knows that the production’s depravity and delirium almost surpasses the film’s—Apocalypse Now’s Wikipedia page is as wild as the film itself.
—Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
In areas like health care access, education affordability and public infrastructure, Taiwan rivals or surpasses many G7 nations.
—Michelle Kuo, The Dial, 14 Apr. 2026
Omid, whose English surpasses Marjan’s own level, has excited such hopes, and the touchingly Chekhovian quasi-romance between them adds a gentle note of amorous wistfulness.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surpasses
Verb
-
If Amex as a corporation exceeds the goals, the payout ratio will be higher, and everyone across all business units will get the same bonus boost.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
-
That far exceeds Denmark’s peak electricity demand of around 7 GW.—
April Roach,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
That single number eclipses the resources of entire sectors that educate exponentially more students.—
Ed Smith-Lewis,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
-
Their 517 plate appearances with runners on easily eclipses the next-closest team, the Washington Nationals (484).—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surpasses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surpasses. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
