surmount

American  

[ser-mount] / sərˈmaʊnt /

verb (used with object)

• surmounts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• surmounted,
  past participle,  past
• surmounting
  present participle

1. to mount upon; get on the top of; mount upon and cross over.

   to surmount a hill.

2. to get over or across (barriers, obstacles, etc.).

3. to prevail over.

   to surmount tremendous difficulties.

4. to be on top of or above.

   a statue surmounting a pillar.

5. to furnish with something placed on top or above.

   to surmount a tower with a spire.

6. Obsolete.

   1. to surpass in excellence.

   2. to exceed in amount.

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surmount British  

/ sɜːˈmaʊnt /

verb

1. to prevail over; overcome

   to surmount tremendous difficulties

2. to ascend and cross to the opposite side of

3. to lie on top of or rise above

4. to put something on top of or above

5. obsolete to surpass or exceed

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• surmountableness
  noun
• surmounter
  noun
• surmountable
  adjective
• unsurmounted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• surmounting
  present
• surmounted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• surmount
  simple
• surmounts
  simple
• have surmounted
  perfect
• has surmounted
  perfect
• am surmounting
  progressive
• are surmounting
  progressive
• is surmounting
  progressive
• have been surmounting
  perfect progressive
• has been surmounting
  perfect progressive

Past

• surmounted
  simple
• had surmounted
  perfect
• was surmounting
  progressive
• were surmounting
  progressive
• had been surmounting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will surmount
  simple
• will have surmounted
  perfect
• will be surmounting
  progressive
• will have been surmounting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of surmount

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Anglo-French sormonter, surmounter, Old French sor(e)monter, s(o)urmonter; see sur- ¹, mount ¹

Explanation

If you surmount a challenge or difficult situation, you're not just getting over it. You're outdoing yourself, exceeding expectations, and overcoming the task at hand. This word comes to us from the Old French verb for mount, or climb. Maria sang "climb every mountain..." in The Sound of Music. But she could have just as well meant "surmount every obstacle" — because to surmount means to both reach the highest point of something, like a mountain, and to totally overcome a mountain-size problem.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

surmount surmounts surmounted surmounting

Sometimes, even the best-laid plans can’t surmount a brick wall.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026

Treasury yields rose as inflation fears continued to surmount growth worries—even after a disappointing U.S. jobs print Friday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026

Elwood is convinced he can surmount obstacles; Turner is resigned to going around them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2024

The results have implications for efforts to help children with hearing loss surmount initial language delays caused by a lack of auditory input and access to speech sounds before they receive cochlear implants.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 14, 2024

My eye passed all other objects to rest on those most remote, the blue peaks; it was those I longed to surmount; all within their boundary of rock and heath seemed prison-ground, exile limits.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

The line surmounts central Tacoma’s steep slope by climbing north of downtown, followed by a U-turn into Martin Luther King, Jr. Way South.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 22, 2023

Each arrives at a version of freedom that surmounts the original constraints.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 17, 2021

But when the Red Woman reminds her that she’s been training very nearly her whole life for this, she surmounts her fear.

From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2019

Name-recognition, either through the media or word-of-mouth within cadres of art collectors, surmounts all.

From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2017

The dogs fall silent at the edge of my spell, and where the king’s hall surmounts the town, the blind old Shaper, harp clutched tight to his fragile chest, stares futilely down, straight at me.

From "Grendel" by John Gardner

Stocks have also surmounted another potential threat: The revival of the conflict between the U.S. and Iran.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

In the 1970s, the bipartisan effort to remove President Richard Nixon from office signified to many that the constitutional crisis he created had been surmounted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

These are issues that could potentially be surmounted through negotiation.

From BBC ● May 7, 2024

The researchers have now surmounted this security vulnerability by leveraging terahertz waves to develop an antitampering ID tag that still offers the benefits of being tiny, cheap, and secure.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 19, 2024

It was surmounted by a portrait of Napoleon, in profile, executed by Squealer in white paint.

From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell

Walker—three women who built empires by surmounting steep racial and gender barriers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026

While Siwa faced surmounting challenges when she came out — the star was able to do it years earlier than child stars who came before her like Lovato and Symoné.

From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2024

The paper also provides examples of how people are surmounting some of these obstacles.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 16, 2023

It’s associated with pleasure and the expectation or experience of a reward, which can include the surmounting of a threat “such as overcoming fear, winning a race, receiving respect and approbation from others,” Spiegel says.

From National Geographic ● Oct. 16, 2023

When they were able to arrange a meeting, surmounting all of Blanca’s usual obstacles in addition to the new ones imposed by Pedro’s job, they would find themselves more full of anguish than desire.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Related Words

• conquer