surpassing
Americanadjective
adverb
adjective
adverb
Other Word 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.
It is predicted to bring record heat to 2027, but could also help make 2026 the hottest year on record, surpassing 2024.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
Either way, the city is energized and on the brink of surpassing its pre-pandemic tourism numbers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
But in a reminder of the inflation pressure facing the Fed, diesel prices hit a new all-time high of $5.85 a gallon, surpassing their previous record from 2022.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
It amounts to quite the rebuild, with the Fernandez deal taking City's spending to a Premier League record £458m for a single transfer window, surpassing Liverpool's £415m from last summer.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
My heartbeat quickened, my stress levels surpassing total destruction on the Richter scale.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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.
