as in excesses
the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed
we have a surplus of plastic knives, but we're short on forks and spoons for the picnic
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Recent Examples of surpluses
All operating surpluses are reinvested into the inn’s parent Shorefast charity, which supports the cultural and economic resilience of the local community.
—
Jennifer Flowers, AFAR Media, 30 Jan. 2026
The latest budget forecast by the state comptroller’s office predicts surpluses of $136 million in the general fund and $50 million in the special transportation fund in the current fiscal year that ends on June 30.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 11 Jan. 2026
The program ended in 1943 as the war drew to an end, and there were fewer surpluses.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 24 Nov. 2025
But in the real world, some major economies actively intervene in their trade and capital accounts, producing persistent surpluses caused by distortions in domestic demand and production, whereas other economies don’t.
—Michael Pettis, Foreign Affairs, 17 Nov. 2025
Economists warn that solutions that worked in the past—such as the post-World War II debt reduction or the 1990s surpluses—are unavailable today.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 13 Nov. 2025
Designed to combat both hunger and agricultural surpluses during the Great Depression, the program used orange stamps for general food purchases and blue stamps for surplus items.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025
The pot of money has built sizable reserves due to annual surpluses and an arrangement for the fund to share in a portion of tariff revenue, Super added.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2025
In this approach, BESS handles rapid fluctuations within milliseconds, absorbing short-term surpluses or deficits.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2025
Jennifer Flowers, AFAR Media, 30 Jan. 2026
The latest budget forecast by the state comptroller’s office predicts surpluses of $136 million in the general fund and $50 million in the special transportation fund in the current fiscal year that ends on June 30.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 11 Jan. 2026
The program ended in 1943 as the war drew to an end, and there were fewer surpluses.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 24 Nov. 2025
But in the real world, some major economies actively intervene in their trade and capital accounts, producing persistent surpluses caused by distortions in domestic demand and production, whereas other economies don’t.
—Michael Pettis, Foreign Affairs, 17 Nov. 2025
Economists warn that solutions that worked in the past—such as the post-World War II debt reduction or the 1990s surpluses—are unavailable today.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 13 Nov. 2025
Designed to combat both hunger and agricultural surpluses during the Great Depression, the program used orange stamps for general food purchases and blue stamps for surplus items.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025
The pot of money has built sizable reserves due to annual surpluses and an arrangement for the fund to share in a portion of tariff revenue, Super added.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2025
In this approach, BESS handles rapid fluctuations within milliseconds, absorbing short-term surpluses or deficits.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surpluses
Noun
-
What happens, though, when those excesses transcend the merely stupid, the merely unjust, to become existential?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Liberal and conservative polls show the president’s support is cratering across all groups because of ICE’s excesses but especially with independents and Latinos, two constituencies crucial to his 2024 triumph and the future of MAGA.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
As a result, sewage blockages and overflows became widespread, increasing the risk of wastewater contaminating drinking water sources and heightening the likelihood of outbreaks of diarrhea, hepatitis A and other waterborne diseases in an already vulnerable community.—
Sarah Ferguson,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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However, long-term problems persist as completely eliminating overflows will take decades, according to officials.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surpluses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surpluses. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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