- 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.
For a brief period, the energy being released reached roughly 400 billion times the output of Earth's Sun, surpassing even the most powerful supernovae known to astronomers.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
Revenue grew 18% from a year before to reach $17.3 billion in the fourth quarter, surpassing the $16.8 billion anticipated by Wall Street analysts.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
The move represents a new record fee for a British goalkeeper, surpassing the previous benchmark of £30m which Everton paid Sunderland for Jordan Pickford in 2017.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Overall, though, Rheinmetall's order backlog kept growing in the second quarter, surpassing the 80 billion euro mark thanks to 11.4 billion euros in new contracts awarded during the quarter.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
"If so, it is a ruse of surpassing cleverness," said Varys.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
