excess 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of excessnext
as in extra
being over what is needed any excess food from the party will be donated to a shelter for the homeless

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

excess

2 of 3

noun

ik-ˈses How to pronounce excess (audio)
1
as in surplus
the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed a new television season with an excess of sitcoms featuring wisecracking teenagers

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in excessiveness
a propensity for extremes in one's actions, beliefs, or habits the wretched excess that is so often found in the world of show business

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

excess

3 of 3

verb

as in to lay off

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of excess
Adjective
The simplest metrics of success at the RRC will be increasing energy production in Texas while lowering energy costs and reducing the number of orphaned wells and excess flaring permits in our state. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Oct. 2026 Sullivan touted his Bycatch Reduction Act, a bill intended to reduce excess fish caught by large commercial trawlers. — Matthew Choi The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
Noun
His conservatism was seen by many as an antidote to the excesses of the 1960s and 1970s. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 The DynaTAC quickly became an emblem of 1980s ambition and excess, a communications device that doubled as a badge of executive clout. — Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
Over the past few months my wife has begun drinking to excess every evening. — Amy Dickinson, Anchorage Daily News, 17 July 2023 You’ve been quoted as saying that that is really what the film is about — not so much drinking to excess as embracing the uncontrollable. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2021 See All Example Sentences for excess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excess
  1. extra
  2. surplus
  3. excessiveness
  4. lay off
  5. spare
  6. overflow
  7. sack
  8. abundance
Adjective
  • An extra $6,000 or $29,000 in gains over a decade won’t replace a lost job.
    — Sarah Cannon, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • In 2003, however, Kember made a splash with Forged Prescriptions, a re-release that favored fuller mixes and extra overdubs which the band had jettisoned owing to the difficulty of reproducing them.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of extra
Noun
  • Any business can be people-owned and operated, with surplus revenue going back to the customers and employees instead of to shareholders.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Menswear publications also began spotlighting military surplus liners as standalone jackets rather than removable insulation, and the style eventually expanded into designer collections and shopping guides.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of surplus
Noun
  • The excessiveness of Ken Russell, Joe Coleman, Tasha Tudor, clowns, migraines, Priscilla Presley, and the Winchester Mystery House.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
  • This excessiveness can hinder critical knowledge building because of the sheer amount of information that can be accessed simultaneously at any time.
    — Carmen Daniela Maier, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
Definition of excessiveness
Verb
  • Corporations lay off workers en masse in hopes of replicating their labor with LLMs.
    — Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Pitchfork, 26 June 2026
  • For Ali, a Tehrani technician who had to lay off his half a dozen workers, the economic situation isn’t theoretical.
    — Kay Armin Serjoie, Time, 17 June 2026
Definition of lay off
Adjective
  • My version consists of a Raspberry Pi and a handful of spare bits.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2026
  • France's education ministry is in the process of urgently contacting around 3,000 spare teachers who could be sent to schools with the most pressing needs, often located in low-income areas, said Education Minister Edouard Geffray.
    — Makini Brice, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of spare
Noun
  • The combined sewage-overflow tanks that are supposed to divert sewage from running into the canal won’t be complete until 2029 — a seven-year delay that might require parts of the canal to be re-dredged again to remove the contamination.
    — Kim Velsey, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2026
  • These tunnels will be designed to capture that overflow and serve as massive holding tanks, with the wastewater gradually being treated at ALCOSAN's treatment plant as capacity becomes available.
    — Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of overflow
Verb
  • After Miami scored in the second OT period, Omar Thornton sacked Daniels on first down, forced an incompletion on second down, got FSU to commit a false start and forced another incompletion to set up fourth and 21.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
  • He was sacked five times as Texas lost consecutive regular-season games for the first time since 2021.
    — Mark Long, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of sack
Noun
  • But these mergers are far too rare to explain the abundance of heavier elements in the universe.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • December Come to Sicily for the citrus harvest, when menus abound with an abundance of local varieties.
    — Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of abundance

Browse Nearby Words

excerpts
excess
excessed
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Cite this Entry

“Excess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excess. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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