1
as in exceeds
to be greater, better, or stronger than
she always tried to surpass her older brother at anything he did
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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
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Recent Examples of surpasses
Extra añejo refers to tequila that has been aged for more than three years, and this new expression from the Last Drop far surpasses that.
—
Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2025
Add to that list Inhotim, a sprawling and relatively obscure contemporary art collection in the jungle of the state of Minas Gerais that surpasses any notion of what a museum can be.
—William O'Connor, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
If no candidate receives a majority in the first round, the lowest-performing candidates are eliminated and their supporters’ next choices are redistributed until someone surpasses 50%.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
That will be followed by Study 02 next year featuring different hardware using stainless steel with 18-karat gold plating sourced from China, where Canadas contended hardware technology surpasses European alternatives.
—Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2025
Though both of these James Whale masterpieces hold up remarkably well, the 1935 sequel surpasses the original Frankenstein — itself a great movie — in terms of style.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
When cooled with liquid nitrogen, the material’s tensile strength surpasses 1,900 MPa.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
The European Linen Sheet Set at Quince is only $140 and surpasses its expensive competitor in feel, weight, and quality.
—Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
The food pantry’s national delivery service received 410 new applications for support in just 10 days, an increase Bassett says surpasses their usual total from an entire quarter.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 12 Oct. 2025
Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2025
Add to that list Inhotim, a sprawling and relatively obscure contemporary art collection in the jungle of the state of Minas Gerais that surpasses any notion of what a museum can be.
—William O'Connor, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
If no candidate receives a majority in the first round, the lowest-performing candidates are eliminated and their supporters’ next choices are redistributed until someone surpasses 50%.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
That will be followed by Study 02 next year featuring different hardware using stainless steel with 18-karat gold plating sourced from China, where Canadas contended hardware technology surpasses European alternatives.
—Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2025
Though both of these James Whale masterpieces hold up remarkably well, the 1935 sequel surpasses the original Frankenstein — itself a great movie — in terms of style.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
When cooled with liquid nitrogen, the material’s tensile strength surpasses 1,900 MPa.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
The European Linen Sheet Set at Quince is only $140 and surpasses its expensive competitor in feel, weight, and quality.
—Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
The food pantry’s national delivery service received 410 new applications for support in just 10 days, an increase Bassett says surpasses their usual total from an entire quarter.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 12 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surpasses
Verb
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That would occur when the value of a country’s imports far exceeds that of exports, also referred to as a trade deficit.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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In India, youth unemployment already exceeds 16 percent.—
Neel Somani,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Cotton also eclipses natural fibers like wool (3 percent) and hemp (1 percent).—
Catherine Salfino,
Sourcing Journal,
7 Oct. 2025
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The central performance never eclipses the movie.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surpasses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surpasses. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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