surplus

American  

[sur-pluhs, -pluhs] / ˈsɜr plʌs, -pləs /

noun

1. something that remains above what is used or needed.

   Synonyms:

   superabundance

2. an amount, quantity, etc., greater than needed.

3. agricultural produce or a quantity of food grown by a nation or area in excess of its needs, especially such a quantity of food purchased and stored by a governmental program of guaranteeing farmers a specific price for certain crops.

4. Accounting.

   1. the excess of assets over liabilities accumulated throughout the existence of a business, excepting assets against which stock certificates have been issued; excess of net worth over capital-stock value.

   2. an amount of assets in excess of what is requisite to meet liabilities.

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adjective

1. being a surplus; being in excess of what is required.

   surplus wheat.

verb (used with object)

surplussed, surplused, surplussing, surplusing

1. to treat as surplus; sell off; retire.

   The government surplussed some of its desert lands.

surplus British  

/ ˈsɜːpləs /

noun

1. a quantity or amount in excess of what is required

2. accounting

   1. an excess of total assets over total liabilities

   2. an excess of actual net assets over the nominal value of capital stock

   3. an excess of revenues over expenditures during a certain period of time

3. economics

   1. an excess of government revenues over expenditures during a certain financial year

   2. an excess of receipts over payments on the balance of payments

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adjective

1. being in excess; extra

surplus Cultural  

1. An unsold quantity of a good resulting from a lack of equilibrium in a market. For example, if a price is artificially high, sellers will bring more goods to the market than buyers will be willing to buy. (Compare shortage.)

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Related Words

See remainder.

Etymology

Origin of surplus

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Old French surplus, s(o)urplus, from Medieval Latin superplūs, equivalent to super- preposition and prefix + plūs neuter noun; see origin at super-, plus

Explanation

A surplus is something extra or left over. If your tree produces more apples than you can eat, you can make applesauce with the surplus of apples. The army surplus store sells old or out-of-date clothing and equipment that the military doesn't need. If you earn more money than you spend, then you have a surplus of cash. The word surplus has familiar parts: sur- is a shortened form of super, meaning "extra" or "additional," and plus just means "more."

Example Sentences

It’s why U.S. imports rose so much in the first quarter, causing the trade deficit to widen, and why Taiwan’s trade surplus has reached an almost unthinkable 24% of GDP.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

The country for March recorded a merchandise-trade surplus of 1.78 billion Canadian dollars, the equivalent of about US$1.31 billion, Statistics Canada said Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

Young, who is also chief investment officer at oil-and-gas investment firm Bison Interests, called current oil-supply disruptions “unprecedented” for a market where even a 1 million-barrel-per-day deficit or surplus can materially influence prices.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

The Social Security Administration enjoyed an annual surplus every year from 1984 through 2020.

From MarketWatch • May 2, 2026

His wife asked me, “Why are people in the world starving when America has so much surplus food? What do they do, dump it in the ocean?”

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Related Words

• excess
• leftover
• unused