as in extraordinary
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1
as in exceeding
to be greater, better, or stronger than
she always tried to surpass her older brother at anything he did
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2
as in transcending
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 surpassing
Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC news, 19 Apr. 2026
That's led to positive results with the Flames surpassing last year's win total and conference win total early on this season.
—Jori Parys, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
During the mission, the Artemis II crew set a record for farthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth, surpassing the record of 248,655 miles previously set by the Apollo 13 flight crew in 1970, according to NASA.
—Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 18 Apr. 2026
The second-round pick in the 2012 draft is 31st on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list with 4,926 career points and is 59 points away from surpassing Hall of Famer Maya Moore for 30th all-time.
—Laurence Miedema, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
During the 10-day journey, the Orion capsule took the astronauts farther from Earth than any humans have ever been – surpassing a record set in 1970 during the infamous Apollo 13 mission that nearly turned into a disaster.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
The crew also ventured deeper into space than any human before, surpassing the Apollo 13 record set in 1970.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
Denver’s record home opener made for a memorable debut on a grand stage, surpassing the 30,000 who attended Boston’s opener at Gillette Stadium two weeks prior, a turnout underscoring the surging popularity of the sport and highlighting the league’s potential.
—Asli Pelit, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Microsoft celebrated the app surpassing 10 million downloads in 2024.
—James Peckham, PC Magazine, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
The bipedal humanoid, developed by smartphone maker Honor, blazed through the 13-mile race in just 50 minutes, 26 seconds, besting all 12,000 human competitors and even surpassing the human world record for a half-marathon, set by Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon last month, by nearly seven minutes.
—Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC news, 19 Apr. 2026
That's led to positive results with the Flames surpassing last year's win total and conference win total early on this season.
—Jori Parys, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
During the mission, the Artemis II crew set a record for farthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth, surpassing the record of 248,655 miles previously set by the Apollo 13 flight crew in 1970, according to NASA.
—Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 18 Apr. 2026
The second-round pick in the 2012 draft is 31st on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list with 4,926 career points and is 59 points away from surpassing Hall of Famer Maya Moore for 30th all-time.
—Laurence Miedema, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
During the 10-day journey, the Orion capsule took the astronauts farther from Earth than any humans have ever been – surpassing a record set in 1970 during the infamous Apollo 13 mission that nearly turned into a disaster.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
The crew also ventured deeper into space than any human before, surpassing the Apollo 13 record set in 1970.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
Denver’s record home opener made for a memorable debut on a grand stage, surpassing the 30,000 who attended Boston’s opener at Gillette Stadium two weeks prior, a turnout underscoring the surging popularity of the sport and highlighting the league’s potential.
—Asli Pelit, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Microsoft celebrated the app surpassing 10 million downloads in 2024.
—James Peckham, PC Magazine, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surpassing
Adjective
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That set the stage for an extraordinary showdown that posed serious risks for the global economy and raised the specter that the ceasefire could collapse and the war could resume.—
Samy Magdy,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The scale of commitment is extraordinary.—
Winston Ma,
semafor.com,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The pair was arrested and charged with burglary and grand theft exceeding $20,000.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Treatment often requires hospitalization; when kidney failure is severe, dialysis is needed, with bills often exceeding $10,000.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But just as nostalgic as Curry’s long-range mastery, Green’s supreme effort on the defensive side of the ball brought back memories, too.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Starting from the first day of spring training, people around the Detroit Tigers have raved about Kevin McGonigle not only for his supreme abilities but also for his remarkable composure.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On their record-breaking flyby, the astronauts reached a maximum 252,756 miles from Earth before hanging a U-turn behind the moon, eclipsing Apollo 13‘s distance record.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
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When our own planet was eclipsing the sun, at least from the Artemis capsule’s point of view, the astronauts saw the agave-green milky glow of the solar atmosphere and its dust, visible around the moon.—
Rebecca Boyle,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Hynes said that the rookie’s play all season, not just his superlative final few regular season games, factored in the decision.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
17 Apr. 2026
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Despite Bueckers’ superlative rookie season, Dallas finished 10-34 and far from the WNBA playoffs in 2025, earning the top overall pick in the draft for the second season in a row.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Crude prices have surged over 30% since the war broke out, with Brent briefly topping $110 a barrel for the first time in roughly four years, according to LSEG data, before easing on hopes for a breakthrough.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
-
What could be better than topping this with vanilla ice cream?—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Deportees who aren't imprisoned face challenges Even those who are not immediately jailed face huge challenges, including economic ones, upon their return to their home country.—
Sergio Martínez-Beltrán,
NPR,
17 Apr. 2026
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Anderson said that experience was a huge help in preparing him for his eventual MLB promotion.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Shuttle services have been arranged to transport journalists between the media center and a hotel in the city’s main shopping mall.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
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But the leak appeared to get worse when the service module fired its main engine for the translunar injection burn on Day 2 of the flight, according to Amit Kshatriya, NASA’s associate administrator.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surpassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surpassing. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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