excel

American  

[ik-sel] / ɪkˈsɛl /

verb (used without object)

excelled, excelling

1. to surpass others or be superior in some respect or area; do extremely well.

   to excel in math.

---

verb (used with object)

excelled, excelling

1. to surpass; be superior to; outdo.

   He excels all other poets of his day.

   Synonyms:

   beat, top, exceed, transcend, eclipse, outstrip

excel British  

/ ɪkˈsɛl /

verb

1. to be superior to (another or others); surpass

2. (intr; foll by in or at) to be outstandingly good or proficient

   he excels at tennis

---

Related Words

Excel, outdo, surpass imply being better than others or being superior in achievement. To excel is to be superior in some quality, attainment, or performance: to excel opponents at playing chess. To outdo is to make more successful effort than others: to outdo competitors in the high jump. To surpass is to go beyond others, especially in a contest as to quality or ability: to surpass one's classmates in knowledge of corporation law.

Other Word Forms

• unexcelled adjective
• unexcelling adjective

Etymology

Origin of excel

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French exceller, from Latin excellere, equivalent to ex- ex- ¹ + -cellere “to rise high, tower” (akin to celsus “high”)

Explanation

If you excel at math, you are doing it better than anyone else. You might even be moving so much faster than the rest of your class, you're put into a special, accelerated math program. Excel derives from the Latin excellere, which is all about going beyond the high. Someone who excels at the violin might practice five hours a day because they are striving for excellence, meaning outstanding-ness. You could describe their performance as excellent, or fantastic. That doesn't mean you yourself want to practice five hours a day. Excel means to stand out, and some of us are pretty happy standing right where we are.

Example Sentences

And recent history shows this is the month where City excel and Arsenal flounder.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

I see her excel and just keep killing it on all different kinds of aspects of entertainment.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

“I’ve been thinking a lot about how the careers that my kids would excel at probably won’t exist, and questioning what they will do instead,” said another.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

Furthermore, managers who are managing many different funds may be stretched too thin to excel in any one of his funds.

From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026

And also I didn’t want to let him excel me in this, even though I knew that it didn’t matter whether he showed me up at the tree or not.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Related Words

• come through
• outdo
• shine
• transcend