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
For the last quarter of the 20th century, presidents and Congresses of both parties annually debated how to reduce deficits and several times reached consequential multi-year deals, culminating during the second Clinton term in four straight years of surpluses.
—
Jackie Calmes, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
Huge surpluses of nutrients congregate in the dense urban corridors of the Northeast and the massive livestock hubs of the West.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 Apr. 2026
If the conflict lasts a few months and energy and trade flows return to normal, Gulf states will once again run large surpluses.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Ritter’s proposal came several hours before the legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal office projected an operating deficit of nearly $30 million in the state’s general fund — a sharp contrast from the booming surpluses of the past seven years.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
Over the course of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s term, CPS has lurched from budget crisis to budget crisis, able only to muddle through due to record-breaking mayoral declarations of tax-increment-financing surpluses.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
That money built up other countries’ economies or sloshed around as financial surpluses that fueled financial market exuberance and asset bubbles that could suddenly pop.
—Amy Myers Jaffe, The Conversation, 9 Mar. 2026
These surpluses were credited to the OASI trust fund.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
San Diego officials say this is groundbreaking stuff in the water world, creating new mechanisms and legal frameworks to transfer water from where there are surpluses to where there’s need.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
Jackie Calmes, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
Huge surpluses of nutrients congregate in the dense urban corridors of the Northeast and the massive livestock hubs of the West.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 Apr. 2026
If the conflict lasts a few months and energy and trade flows return to normal, Gulf states will once again run large surpluses.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Ritter’s proposal came several hours before the legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal office projected an operating deficit of nearly $30 million in the state’s general fund — a sharp contrast from the booming surpluses of the past seven years.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
Over the course of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s term, CPS has lurched from budget crisis to budget crisis, able only to muddle through due to record-breaking mayoral declarations of tax-increment-financing surpluses.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
That money built up other countries’ economies or sloshed around as financial surpluses that fueled financial market exuberance and asset bubbles that could suddenly pop.
—Amy Myers Jaffe, The Conversation, 9 Mar. 2026
These surpluses were credited to the OASI trust fund.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
San Diego officials say this is groundbreaking stuff in the water world, creating new mechanisms and legal frameworks to transfer water from where there are surpluses to where there’s need.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surpluses
Noun
-
Without explicit mention of the Epstein survivors, Khanna said Charles’ message on the excesses of executive power was undermined.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In this environment of yachts, red carpets and excesses, the cast will give life to a new group of guests whose vacation, if the season follows tradition, will be cut short by a crime.—
Diego Parrado,
Vanity Fair,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That can allow attackers to leverage serious vulnerabilities like buffer overflows and memory leaks to compromise devices.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
13 Apr. 2026
-
And in places where sewage and rain flow through the same pipes, heavy rains made worse by climate change can make overflows to waterways more frequent and severe.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surpluses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surpluses. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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