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surpass

[ ser-pas, -pahs ]
/ sərˈpæs, -ˈpɑs /
||

verb (used with object)

to go beyond in amount, extent, or degree; be greater than; exceed.
to go beyond in excellence or achievement; be superior to; excel: He surpassed his brother in sports.
to be beyond the range or capacity of; transcend: misery that surpasses description.

RELATED WORDS

outweigh, exceed, beat, outperform, top, eclipse, rank, outstrip, pass, outpace, transcend, better, trump, outshine, cap, excel, overstep, overshadow, outdistance, outmatch

Nearby words

  1. surly,
  2. surmise,
  3. surmount,
  4. surmullet,
  5. surname,
  6. surpassing,
  7. surplice,
  8. surplus,
  9. surplus value,
  10. surplusage

Origin of surpass

1545–55; < Middle French surpasser, equivalent to sur- sur-1 + passer to pass
SYNONYMS FOR surpass
2. beat, outstrip. See excel.
Related formssur·pass·a·ble, adjectivesur·pass·er, nounun·sur·pass·a·ble, adjectiveun·sur·passed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for surpassed

British Dictionary definitions for surpassed

surpass

/ (sɜːˈpɑːs) /

verb (tr)

to be greater than in degree, extent, etc
to be superior to in achievement or excellence
to overstep the limit or range ofthe theory surpasses my comprehension
Derived Formssurpassable, adjective

Word Origin for surpass

C16: from French surpasser, from sur- 1 + passer to pass
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 surpassed

surpass

v.

1550s, from Middle French surpasser "go beyond, exceed, excel," from Old French sur- "beyond" (see sur-) + passer "to go by" (see pass (v.)). Related: Surpassed; surpassing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper