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surmount

[ ser-mount ]
/ sərˈmaʊnt /
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See synonyms for: surmount / surmounted / surmounting / surmountable on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
to mount upon; get on the top of; mount upon and cross over: to surmount a hill.
to get over or across (barriers, obstacles, etc.).
to prevail over: to surmount tremendous difficulties.
to be on top of or above: a statue surmounting a pillar.
to furnish with something placed on top or above: to surmount a tower with a spire.
Obsolete.
  1. to surpass in excellence.
  2. to exceed in amount.
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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, mount1

OTHER WORDS FROM surmount

sur·mount·a·ble [ser-moun-tuh-buhl], /sərˈmaʊn tə bəl/, adjectivesur·mount·er, nounun·sur·mount·ed, adjective

Words nearby surmount

Surinam toad, surjection, surjective, surly, surmise, surmount, surmountable, surmullet, surname, surpass, surpassing
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to surmount

conquer, best, cap, clear, crest, crown, defeat, down, exceed, hurdle, leap, lick, negotiate, outdo, outstrip, overpower, overtop, pass, subdue, surpass

How to use surmount in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for surmount

surmount
/ (sɜːˈmaʊnt) /
verb (tr)
to prevail over; overcometo surmount tremendous difficulties
to ascend and cross to the opposite side of
to lie on top of or rise above
to put something on top of or above
obsolete to surpass or exceed

Derived forms of surmount

surmountable, adjectivesurmountableness, nounsurmounter, noun

Word Origin for surmount

C14: from Old French surmonter, from sur- 1 + monter to mount 1
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
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