surplus
something that remains above what is used or needed.
an amount, quantity, etc., greater than needed.
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.
Accounting.
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.
an amount of assets in excess of what is requisite to meet liabilities.
being a surplus; being in excess of what is required: surplus wheat.
Origin of surplus
1synonym study For surplus
Other words for surplus
Words that may be confused with surplus
- surplice, surplus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use surplus in a sentence
Dozens of other former members and congressional also-rans, both Democrats and Republicans, are squatting on six-figure surpluses.
Ex-Politicians Keeping $100 Million in Private Slush Funds | Dave Levinthal, Center for Public Integrity | May 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOther notable ex-Congress members with large campaign surpluses as of March 31 include Sen. Max Baucus (PDF), D-Mont.
Ex-Politicians Keeping $100 Million in Private Slush Funds | Dave Levinthal, Center for Public Integrity | May 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWas the big debate in 2000 really about “What are we going to do with trillions in surpluses?”
And dozens of states, many of which cut jobs to close their annual deficits, are now reporting surpluses.
The decision that hurt him so much with his own party—the budget deal of 1990—enabled the budget surpluses of the later 1990s.
David Frum on How George H.W. Bush Was a Man of Greatness in Modesty | David Frum | October 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
One cardinal principle of the greatest English finance ministers has been the avoidance of deficits or undue surpluses.
The result is that surpluses of Army harness can not be disposed of to advantage.
America's Munitions 1917-1918 | Benedict CrowellHere is an opportunity for our friends, whether their surpluses be large or little.
But by the very process of unloading the surpluses, the resources of those countries are in turn developed.
The Iron Heel | Jack LondonThe seven great trusts, working together, had pooled their enormous surpluses and made a farm trust.
The Iron Heel | Jack London
British Dictionary definitions for surplus
/ (ˈsɜːpləs) /
a quantity or amount in excess of what is required
accounting
an excess of total assets over total liabilities
an excess of actual net assets over the nominal value of capital stock
an excess of revenues over expenditures during a certain period of time
economics
an excess of government revenues over expenditures during a certain financial year
an excess of receipts over payments on the balance of payments
being in excess; extra
Origin of surplus
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for surplus
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.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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