excess

[noun ik-ses, ek-ses; adjective, verb ek-ses, ik-ses]

See more synonyms for excess on Thesaurus.com

noun

the fact of exceeding something else in amount or degree: His strength is in excess of yours.
the amount or degree by which one thing exceeds another: The bill showed an excess of several hundred dollars over the estimate.
an extreme or excessive amount or degree; superabundance: to have an excess of energy.

a going beyond what is regarded as customary or proper: to talk to excess.
immoderate indulgence; intemperance in eating, drinking, etc.

adjective

more than or above what is necessary, usual, or specified; extra: a charge for excess baggage; excess profits.

verb (used with object)

to dismiss, demote, transfer, or furlough (an employee), especially as part of a mass layoff.

Origin of excess

1350–1400; Middle English (noun and adj.) < Latin excessus departure, digression, equivalent to exced-, variant stem of excēdere to exceed + -tus suffix of v. action

Can be confusedaccess assess excess

Synonyms

See more synonyms for excess on Thesaurus.com

3. surplus.

Antonyms

3. lack, deficiency.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for excess

Contemporary Examples

Shake off any excess flour and gently place in the heated oil.
Make Carla Hall’s Crispy Shallot Green Bean Casserole
Carla Hall
December 27, 2014
The Senate Intelligence Committee report says they secured a contract with the CIA in 2006 valued “in excess of $180 million.”
The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built
Michael Daly
December 12, 2014
By the way, killjoys, American charitable giving goes up by 42 percent during this season of crass materialistic greed and excess.
Keep Christmas Commercialized!
P. J. O’Rourke
December 6, 2014
And some specialize in treating women, who have different risk factors for excess drinking.
Elizabeth Peña and the Truth About Alcoholic Women
Gabrielle Glaser
October 24, 2014
“Most women are not drinking to excess because they feel ‘powerful’ in the first place,” she says.
Elizabeth Peña and the Truth About Alcoholic Women
Gabrielle Glaser
October 24, 2014

Historical Examples

That they would use the drug to excess there can be no doubt, and that is the main point.
Punchinello, Vol. 1. No. 20, August 13, 1870
Various
It arose, I imagine, from an excess of the masculine element in his nature.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
We are to be cured by an excess of the dose that has poisoned us.
A Treatise on Parents and Children
George Bernard Shaw
Chip jerked open the door with a force greatly in excess of the need of it.
Chip, of the Flying U
B. M. Bower
It is the deficiency, and not the excess of this quality, that is to be feared.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth

British Dictionary definitions for excess

excess

noun (ɪkˈsɛs, ˈɛksɛs)

the state or act of going beyond normal, sufficient, or permitted limits
an immoderate or abnormal amount, number, extent, or degree too much or too manyan excess of tolerance
the amount, number, extent, or degree by which one thing exceeds another
chem a quantity of a reagent that is greater than the quantity required to complete a reactionadd an excess of acid
overindulgence or intemperance
insurance, mainly British a specified contribution towards the cost of a claim, stipulated on certain insurance policies as being payable by the policyholder
in excess of of more than; over
to excess to an inordinate extent; immoderatelyhe drinks to excess

adjective (ˈɛksɛs, ɪkˈsɛs) (usually prenominal)

more than normal, necessary, or permitted; surplusexcess weight
payable as a result of previous underpaymentexcess postage; an excess fare for a railway journey

Word Origin

C14: from Latin excessus, from excēdere to go beyond; see exceed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for excess

n.

late 14c., from Old French exces (14c.) "excess, extravagance, outrage," from Latin excessus "departure, a going beyond the bounds of reason or beyond the subject," from stem of excedere "to depart, go beyond" (see exceed). As an adjective from late 15c.

excess in Medicine

excess

(ĭk-sĕs′, ĕk′sĕs′)

An amount or quantity beyond what is normal or sufficient; a surplus.

Idioms and Phrases with excess

excess

see carry too far (to excess); in excess of.

excess

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}excess

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples from the Web for excess

Contemporary Examples

Shake off any excess flour and gently place in the heated oil.

The Senate Intelligence Committee report says they secured a contract with the CIA in 2006 valued “in excess of $180 million.”

By the way, killjoys, American charitable giving goes up by 42 percent during this season of crass materialistic greed and excess.

And some specialize in treating women, who have different risk factors for excess drinking.

“Most women are not drinking to excess because they feel ‘powerful’ in the first place,” she says.

Historical Examples

That they would use the drug to excess there can be no doubt, and that is the main point.

It arose, I imagine, from an excess of the masculine element in his nature.

We are to be cured by an excess of the dose that has poisoned us.

Chip jerked open the door with a force greatly in excess of the need of it.

It is the deficiency, and not the excess of this quality, that is to be feared.

excess

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for excess

n.

excess

Idioms and Phrases with excess

excess

Origin of excess