exceed
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
-
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
-
to be greater in degree or quantity than (a person or thing)
Other Word Forms
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.
A sign hanging in their home locker room says “Don’t Let the Pressure Exceed the Pleasure.”
From Time • Nov. 3, 2016
Exceed Expectations Every assignment or deadline you are given is a new opportunity to show your mettle.
From Forbes • Jun. 16, 2014
A version of this article appears in print on April 18, 2014, on page A1 of the with the headline: Signups Exceed Obama’s Goal for Health Act.
From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2014
Tim Easterby's two-year-olds very rarely fail to improve for a run, so it was a highly encouraging performance when this speedy daughter of Exceed and Excel finished third on her debut at Doncaster last month.
From The Guardian • May 4, 2010
Shall these petty creatures, us beasts far below, Exceed us in consequence, fashion, and show?
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.
