exceed
Americanverb (used with object)
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exceeds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exceeded,
past participle, past
-
exceeding
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
exceeds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exceeded,
past participle, past
-
exceeding
present participle
-
to be greater, as in quantity or degree.
-
to surpass others; excel or be superior.
verb
-
to be superior to (a person or thing), esp in size or quality; excel
-
(tr) to go beyond the limit or bounds of
to exceed one's income
exceed a speed limit
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to be greater in degree or quantity than (a person or thing)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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exceedernoun
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superexceedverb (used without object)
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exceedableadjective
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unexceedableadjective
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unexceededadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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exceedsimple
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exceedssimple
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have exceededperfect
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has exceededperfect
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am exceedingprogressive
-
are exceedingprogressive
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is exceedingprogressive
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have been exceedingperfect progressive
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has been exceedingperfect progressive
Past
-
exceededsimple
-
had exceededperfect
-
was exceedingprogressive
-
were exceedingprogressive
-
had been exceedingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of exceed
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English exceden, from Latin excēdere “to go out, go beyond”; equivalent to ex- 1 + cede
Explanation
To exceed is to go beyond expectations, or to go too far. If you exceed the speed limit, you might get a speeding ticket. Exceed and excess share the Latin root excedere meaning to "go beyond." An excess is too much of something, like the piles of candy after Halloween, and exceed means the action of going too far in a good or bad way. You exceed in school when you get straight A's. When Dr. Jekyll transforms into Mr. Hyde, he experiences "a grinding in the bones, deadly nausea, and a horror of the spirit that cannot be exceeded at the hour of birth or death." No thanks! It helps to remember that like speed, exceed ends with -eed.
Vocabulary lists containing exceed
Power Prefix: ex-
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The Bill of Rights
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 3
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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.
See Examples For:
First, inventory existing requirements, set reduction targets and require agencies to identify rules whose costs exceed their benefits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Last year, it entered into a cardiovascular collaboration with Argo Biopharma with a value that could exceed $5 billion subject to hitting targets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Of the 186,000 ARMs expected to reset in 2027, 1 in 5 are jumbo loans, which are bigger mortgages that exceed the conforming-loan limits set by federal regulators.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
Total losses for the 2009-10 campaign were going to exceed what was, at that time, the record single-season financial loss by a Premier League member club.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
“Diagnosis not yet complete but results seem satisfactory and already exceed expectations. Dr. Groves pleased.”
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
UC said in its filing that the federal demand covers more than 2,000 research projects, totaling a sum that far exceeds the $1.2-billion fine sought by the administration in August 2025.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
A steep decline in the MerQube index that exceeds 40% would breach both the coupon and maturity barriers, putting investor capital at risk of losses.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
"Despite the efforts of our supplier, our purchase price exceeds Total's retail price by several dozen cents," the stations said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
For the past seven years, Earl has invested the approximately $10,000 difference in stocks, a balance that now exceeds $100,000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
While injections have exceeded seasonal averages through September, the region is still likely to fall short of storage targets before winter, leaving it exposed to supply disruptions and price volatility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Looking back, the newlyweds say Scotland exceeded every expectation.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Xiaomi said deliveries exceeded 40,000 units in September.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
If spending on administrative or non-healthcare functions exceeded 10% of total revenue, a clinic would have to pay a penalty equal to the amount it overspent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
When Pipkin had planted in himself, like some somber tree, the knowledge that Hazel would never return, his bewilderment exceeded his grief: and this bewilderment he saw on every side among his companions.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
Uber expects the catering platform, with average orders exceeding $400, to boost its profit margins.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
But, let’s face it, Hilton is an exceeding longshot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
He also said the trust was currently exceeding national standards for breast cancer treatment, including for the number of women having breast conservation surgeries and being offered immediate reconstruction.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Under the administration’s new rule, the Department of Commerce will monitor importers of polysilicon products to determine whether they are exceeding past import volumes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Over and over we hear in voiceover or see in graphic display the “three principles,” which are maddeningly, even defiantly, nonparallel: “respect for the individual, exceeding customers’ expectations, strive for excellence.”
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
