surmount

[ser-mount]

See more synonyms for surmount 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.

Origin of surmount

1325–75; Middle English surmounten < Anglo-French surmounter, Middle French. See sur-¹, mount¹

Related formssur·mount·a·ble, adjectivesur·mount·a·ble·ness, nounsur·mount·er, nounun·sur·mount·a·ble, adjectiveun·sur·mount·ed, adjective

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

Related Words for surmounting

conquer, exceed, lick, surpass, subdue, crown, down, hurdle, outstrip, pass, best, better, top, overpower, leap, crest, negotiate, throw, clear, cap

Examples from the Web for surmounting

Historical Examples of surmounting

Surmounting its Early English tower is a spire of later date.
England, Picturesque and Descriptive
Joel Cook
Surmounting the central dome is a colossal statue of the Virgin.
The Cathedrals of Northern France
Francis Miltoun
Yet in her clear eye was a fortitude, surmounting adversity.
Man of Uz, and Other Poems
Lydia Howard Sigourney
This head-gear, surmounting a small black face, is laughable in the extreme.
In Eastern Seas
J. J. Smith
Surmounting the wall, I approached the spot where I had seen the reiver first.
Border Ghost Stories
Howard Pease

British Dictionary definitions for surmounting

surmount

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 Formssurmountable, 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

Word Origin and History for surmounting

surmount

late 14c., "to rise above, go beyond," from Old French surmounter "rise above," from sur- "beyond" (see sur-) + monter "to go up" (see mount (v.)). Meaning "to prevail over, overcome" is recorded from late 14c. Related: Surmounted; surmounting.