above and beyond

Idioms  

1. More than is required. This somewhat redundant expression— above and beyond here both denote excess—often precedes the call of duty, which means exceeding what a particular job requires. Thus Putting in overtime without pay is above and beyond the call of duty. Also see over and above.

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Example Sentences

"Followers will still feel, as a matter of conscience, that they still need to abstain because of the pressure to go above and beyond in showing their loyalty to the organisation," he said.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

“With that, we want to make sure that we are going above and beyond on what these markets should be.”

From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026

“It’s a whole system above and beyond what we normally do, which is to teach children. Now we’re doing this as well.”

From Salon • Mar. 2, 2026

Their Teacher, Kim Battersby, was always going above and beyond, spending countless hours after school, over the weekend, and then she even had kids along the process.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2025

I like school, anyway, which increases the loser quotient above and beyond what most other kids would calculate, simply based on the whole two-years-younger-than-my-classmates thing.

From "Winger" by Andrew Smith