- present participle of surpass.
surpassing
Americanadjective
adverb
adjective
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of surpassing
Explanation
Something that's surpassing is exceptional or outstanding — much better or more than usual. A scene of surpassing hilarity in a movie might make you laugh until tears run down your face. The adjective surpassing is a bit old fashioned, and you're most likely to read it in a novel or poem. Its most common use is in the phrase "surpassing beauty," or exceptional beauty. A poet might reflect on the surpassing beauty of the sunset over the ocean, for example. To surpass is to "go beyond," from the prefix sur-, "beyond," and the Old French verb passer, "to go by."
Vocabulary lists containing surpassing
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
With both scientific instruments meeting or surpassing their expected performance, Roman has cleared another important milestone in its preparation for routine observations.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
Indeed, bot traffic makes up an increasingly large share of the internet, surpassing human traffic for the first time in history over the summer, according to a June Cloudflare report.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026
September CPI rose 3.7% from a year earlier, surpassing consensus estimates for a 3.6% increase in a Wall Street Journal survey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Some 189 have died so far this year, surpassing the toll for all of 2025.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
“It was an act of courage far surpassing any other in my life. And I am glad to see you going, Nell, because I would certainly never do it again.”
From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
