transcend

American  

[tran-send] / trænˈsɛnd /

verb (used with object)

1. to rise above or go beyond; overpass; exceed.

   to transcend the limits of thought; kindness transcends courtesy.

2. to outdo or exceed in excellence, elevation, extent, degree, etc.; surpass; excel.

   Synonyms:

   outstrip

3. Theology. (of the Deity) to be above and independent of (the universe, time, etc.).

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verb (used without object)

1. to be transcendent or superior; excel.

   His competitiveness made him want to transcend.

transcend British  

/ trænˈsɛnd /

verb

1. to go above or beyond (a limit, expectation, etc), as in degree or excellence

2. (tr) to be superior to

3. philosophy theol (esp of the Deity) to exist beyond (the material world)

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Other Word Forms

• transcendingly adverb
• untranscended adjective

Etymology

Origin of transcend

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin trānscendere “to surmount,” from trāns- trans- + -scendere (combining form of scandere “to climb”)

Explanation

It would be nice to transcend the narrow limits of this brief definition, and go to greater lengths to describe this word's glories! Transcend means to move upward and beyond something. No doubt you know about the words transcontinental or maybe trans fats? The prefix trans is used to mean "beyond, across" and transcend takes this even further by adding in a sense of upwardness with the stem cend. A pop artist with a lot of talent might transcend the genre of pop. You can't assume a person's opinion on national security by party affiliation — it often transcends party lines.

Example Sentences

But some things do transcend borders - like the need for gossip.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

People have wildly different views on Israel, for example, but in the big tent there are other issues that are larger, that transcend that.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

“Any entity capable of causing the universe,” says narrator Stephen Meyer, a philosopher of science, “must be external to, or separate from, the universe itself. It must . . . transcend time and space.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Earlier, she told Xi that the Taiwan Strait would "no longer be a focal point of potential conflict" and "both sides should transcend political confrontation".

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

And the things he was saying in his final months on earth seemed to transcend all religious differences.

From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom

Related Words

• eclipse
• outstrip
• overstep
• transform