surpassing
Americanadjective
adverb
adjective
adverb
Other Word Forms
- surpassingly adverb
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.
Contemporary Amperex Technology unveiled its Shenxing 3 battery, charging 10% to 98% in 6.5 minutes, surpassing BYD’s technology.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
In 1971, the Osmonds tallied nine gold records, surpassing single-year bests by Elvis and the Beatles.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026
Medical procedures, including a left-leg amputation and tumor removal from his skull, have cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars—a sum surpassing what the potential settlement might yield.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
Nvidia shares were down Monday but gained 15% over the past month, surpassing $195.
From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026
There were women among them, dressed in gowns of surpassing loveliness.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
