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.

to surpass in excellence.
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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use surmount in a sentence

The idea of placing atop this perfect thing a big granite planith surmounted by a representational bronze ... ugh.
Proposed Orwell Statue Faces Orwellian Politics at BBC|David Frum|August 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
These have canted bay windows below them, and their pediments are surmounted by figures representing Mercury and Athæne.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
We did not perceive the little town until we had surmounted the last eminence and were in its immediate vicinity.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
This and the following monument are partly let into the wall, and are surmounted by beautiful Gothic canopies.
Notes and Queries, Number 196, July 30, 1853|Various

Through the partly open door, Lowell caught a glimpse of an aristocratic face, surmounted by gray hair.
Mystery Ranch|Arthur Chapman
Of variety of perilous adventures and peril, ingeniously surmounted, there is no lack.
Blown to Bits|Robert Michael Ballantyne

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

surmount

Origin of surmount

OTHER WORDS FROM surmount

Words related to surmount

How to use surmount in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for surmount

Derived forms of surmount

Word Origin for surmount