surpassing
Americanadjective
adverb
adjective
adverb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of surpassing
Explanation
Something that's surpassing is exceptional or outstanding — much better or more than usual. A scene of surpassing hilarity in a movie might make you laugh until tears run down your face. The adjective surpassing is a bit old fashioned, and you're most likely to read it in a novel or poem. Its most common use is in the phrase "surpassing beauty," or exceptional beauty. A poet might reflect on the surpassing beauty of the sunset over the ocean, for example. To surpass is to "go beyond," from the prefix sur-, "beyond," and the Old French verb passer, "to go by."
Vocabulary lists containing surpassing
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Its Instagram account has attracted more than 22 million followers, surpassing those of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition National Congress Party.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026
Well into the 2020s, the Sunday-night show has retained millions of loyal viewers, even surpassing some of the ratings records it had set in previous decades.
From Slate • Jun. 5, 2026
Revenue grew 27% to $372.5 million, surpassing analysts call for $355.9 million.
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
Medtronic’s revenue rose nearly 7% organically to $9.8 billion, surpassing expectations, and adjusted earnings hit $1.55 per share.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
But this technology was still not capable of “approaching, much less surpassing, the success of the radioactive elements, in providing us with high-speed electrons and high-speed atoms.”
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
