transcend

American  

[tran-send] / trænˈsɛnd /

verb (used with object)

• transcends,
  present (3rd person singular)
• transcended,
  past participle,  past
• transcending
  present participle

1. 

   to rise above or go beyond; overpass; exceed.

   to transcend the limits of thought; kindness transcends courtesy.

2. to outdo or exceed in excellence, elevation, extent, degree, etc.; surpass; excel.

   Synonyms:

   outstrip

3. Theology. (of the Deity) to be above and independent of (the universe, time, etc.).

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verb (used without object)

• transcends,
  present (3rd person singular)
• transcended,
  past participle,  past
• transcending
  present participle

1. to be transcendent or superior; excel.

   His competitiveness made him want to transcend.

transcend British  

/ trænˈsɛnd /

verb

1. to go above or beyond (a limit, expectation, etc), as in degree or excellence

2. (tr) to be superior to

3. philosophy theol (esp of the Deity) to exist beyond (the material world)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• untranscended
  adjective
• transcendingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• transcending
  present
• transcended
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• transcend
  simple
• transcends
  simple
• have transcended
  perfect
• has transcended
  perfect
• am transcending
  progressive
• are transcending
  progressive
• is transcending
  progressive
• have been transcending
  perfect progressive
• has been transcending
  perfect progressive

Past

• transcended
  simple
• had transcended
  perfect
• was transcending
  progressive
• were transcending
  progressive
• had been transcending
  perfect progressive

Future

• will transcend
  simple
• will have transcended
  perfect
• will be transcending
  progressive
• will have been transcending
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of transcend

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin trānscendere “to surmount,” from trāns- trans- + -scendere (combining form of scandere “to climb”)

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Explanation

It would be nice to transcend the narrow limits of this brief definition, and go to greater lengths to describe this word's glories! Transcend means to move upward and beyond something. No doubt you know about the words transcontinental or maybe trans fats? The prefix trans is used to mean "beyond, across" and transcend takes this even further by adding in a sense of upwardness with the stem cend. A pop artist with a lot of talent might transcend the genre of pop. You can't assume a person's opinion on national security by party affiliation — it often transcends party lines.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

transcend transcends transcended transcending

Patrick: They’re trying to simultaneously transcend the Beyond brand name and expand the range of products associated with their brand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

"I really wanted to try to transcend the car racing," he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Her demonstrable character helped her transcend race and class in ways that few artists can claim.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

"The Hundred has given us the chance to really transcend what's a difficult and fairly challenging macroeconomic environment and take us in a different direction," he says.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

“I recommend Batman especially, for he tends to transcend the abysmal society in which he’s found himself. His morality is rather rigid, also. I rather respect Batman.”

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Most importantly, the technology transcends stage gimmick and is essential to telling the story.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

“I think this film transcends the political thing,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

The ability to make a viewer truly feel as though they are witnessing something that transcends time, something that has always existed, is a very rare and special one.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

But this trend of following individual players transcends merely Messi and Ronaldo.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Bobby thought of himself as being totally aware and equated himself with Bhagwan’s concept of the Nietzschean “Superman” who transcends the constraints of society.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

“The University remained one of the few forces that transcended disparate regions and groups,” Pawel writes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Where Parker was the jazz-saxophone genius who succumbed to his excesses, Coltrane transcended his.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Tony Blair, the British prime minister, declared in 2005 that to debate globalization, which he believed transcended the world of nation-states, was like discussing “whether autumn should follow summer.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

"He transcended social and caste hierarchies through his music," says Krishna.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

We had transcended everything—death, fatigue, our natural needs.

From "Night" by Elie Wiesel

Feliz Solomon and Shoshanna Solomon report on how a movement that views its mission as transcending secular laws is testing the limits of Israel’s pro-settler government.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Students from across the country have joined the protests in Delhi, transcending caste, religion and regional identities.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

It's hard to imagine many other snooker players past or present transcending the sport to the extent of rubbing shoulders with royalty.

From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2026

The human species, Huxley affirms, should embrace transhumanism: “man remaining man, but transcending himself, by realizing new possibilities of and for his human nature.”

From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2025

Crowd, heat, bad quarters, bad fare, bad smells, mosquitoes, and a plague of flies transcending everything within my experience.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly

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Related Words

• eclipse
• outstrip
• overstep
• transform

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