Meaning & use

surpass

verb·Academic

To go beyond or exceed someone or something in quality, degree, or achievement.

See it in a sentence

Her final exam score surpassed even her own expectations.

The company's profits surpassed last year's record by a wide margin.

A note on using this word

Surpass is somewhat formal and works well in writing about achievements, records, or comparisons.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

fall short of

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