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surplus value

American  

noun

  1. (in Marxian economics) the part of the value of a commodity that exceeds the cost of labor, regarded as the profit of the capitalist.


Etymology

Origin of surplus value

First recorded in 1885–90

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.

See Examples For:

As it grows its assets and gains economies of scale, it shares that surplus value back with its customers—fundholders—in the form of reduced fees instead of keeping those dollars for itself.

From The Wall Street Journal May 15, 2026

With the rookie wage scale slotting salaries by pick regardless of position, it is more difficult for teams to generate surplus value by taking a tight end.

From Seattle Times Apr. 19, 2024

The best definition that I’ve come across comes from anthropologist Hadas Weiss’s work on the middle class, where she suggests that we might understand capitalism as a form of unplanned surplus value accumulation.

From Washington Post Jun. 17, 2022

Marx proposed the concept of surplus value as a contradictory force within capitalism.

From Textbooks Jun. 15, 2022

But according to Marx, that is, in pure theory, the production price is equal to the cost price, plus surplus value.

From The life and teaching of Karl Marx by Beer, M.

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