surplus

American  

[sur-pluhs, -pluhs] / ˈsɜr plʌs, -pləs /

noun

• surpluses
  plural

1. something that remains above what is used or needed.

   Synonyms:

   superabundance

2. an amount, quantity, etc., greater than needed.

3. agricultural produce or a quantity of food grown by a nation or area in excess of its needs, especially such a quantity of food purchased and stored by a governmental program of guaranteeing farmers a specific price for certain crops.

4. Accounting.

   1. the excess of assets over liabilities accumulated throughout the existence of a business, excepting assets against which stock certificates have been issued; excess of net worth over capital-stock value.

   2. an amount of assets in excess of what is requisite to meet liabilities.

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adjective

1. being a surplus; being in excess of what is required.

   surplus wheat.

verb (used with object)

surplussed, surplused, surplussing, surplusing

1. to treat as surplus; sell off; retire.

   The government surplussed some of its desert lands.

surplus British  

/ ˈsɜːpləs /

noun

1. a quantity or amount in excess of what is required

2. accounting

   1. an excess of total assets over total liabilities

   2. an excess of actual net assets over the nominal value of capital stock

   3. an excess of revenues over expenditures during a certain period of time

3. economics

   1. an excess of government revenues over expenditures during a certain financial year

   2. an excess of receipts over payments on the balance of payments

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adjective

1. being in excess; extra

surplus Cultural  

1. An unsold quantity of a good resulting from a lack of equilibrium in a market. For example, if a price is artificially high, sellers will bring more goods to the market than buyers will be willing to buy. (Compare shortage.)

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Synonym Usage

See remainder.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• surpluses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of surplus

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Old French surplus, s(o)urplus, from Medieval Latin superplūs, equivalent to super- preposition and prefix + plūs neuter noun; see origin at super-, plus

Explanation

A surplus is something extra or left over. If your tree produces more apples than you can eat, you can make applesauce with the surplus of apples. The army surplus store sells old or out-of-date clothing and equipment that the military doesn't need. If you earn more money than you spend, then you have a surplus of cash. The word surplus has familiar parts: sur- is a shortened form of super, meaning "extra" or "additional," and plus just means "more."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

surplus surpluses surplused

At Coffee War, a cafe and museum with a big collection of American surplus jeeps, aircraft and equipment about a half-hour drive from town, owner Damri Sangtang said U.S. sailors would be welcome.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

China is a major exporter to Egypt, with its trade surplus reaching $12 billion in the first seven months of 2026, according to Chinese customs data.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

Goldman’s economists argue that currency revaluation would complement domestic reforms by sustaining growth as the trade surplus shrinks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Imports are projected to have risen 27.3%, resulting in a $27.5 billion trade surplus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

I have a surplus of space suits, after all.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Canada has now racked up trade surpluses three months running as exports have rebounded following a weak start to the year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Because Jamaica ran sizable primary fiscal surpluses for more than a decade, halving its government debt-to-GDP ratio from 140% in 2012 to 62% in 2024.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

Deficits and surpluses are of course common and normal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Canada has now racked up trade surpluses two months this year, after a C$1.75 billion surplus in March.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

Writing was never developed or even adopted by hunter-gatherer societies, because they lacked both the institutional uses of early writing and the social and agricultural mechanisms for generating the food surpluses required to feed scribes.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

The city has been prioritizing the use of surplused land for “low-income housing” for several years.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 20, 2023

Next he built a telecom infrastructure company — MK Global — that ”secured the rights to a $1 billion in equipment surplused in the wake of the dot-com crash.”

From Forbes ● Sep. 19, 2011

He couldn't look like that surplused boy, though.

From Amarilly of Clothes-line Alley by Belle Kanaris Maniates

Consequently the neighborhood was notified that a sacred concert by a "surplused choir" composed of members of the Jenkins household, assisted by a few of their schoolmates, would be given a week from Wednesday night.

From Amarilly of Clothes-line Alley by Belle Kanaris Maniates

Related Words

• excess
• leftover
• unused