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
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of surpasses
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
The math — earning back money that equals or surpasses the card's annual cost — often works out.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2026
Senate Bill 516 would set the rate at 5 cents if the bottle redemption rate — the number of containers returned divided by the number sold — of the state, or any distributor, surpasses 100% in 2026.
—Angela Eichhorst, Hartford Courant, 3 Apr. 2026
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
The math — earning back money that equals or surpasses the card's annual cost — often works out.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2026
Senate Bill 516 would set the rate at 5 cents if the bottle redemption rate — the number of containers returned divided by the number sold — of the state, or any distributor, surpasses 100% in 2026.
—Angela Eichhorst, Hartford Courant, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surpasses
Verb
-
That amount exceeds the foreign reserves of countries like Costa Rica, Uruguay and Panama, according to an investigation by the Herald in August 2025.—
Sarah Moreno
Updated April 29,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
-
California billionaires' combined wealth exceeds $1 trillion.—
Steve Large,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Their 517 plate appearances with runners on easily eclipses the next-closest team, the Washington Nationals (484).—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The moon eclipses the sun in a view captured by the Artemis II crew on Monday.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surpasses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surpasses. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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