SURPASSES Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

surpasses

verb

present tense third-person singular of surpass

as in exceeds

to be greater, better, or stronger than she always tried to surpass her older brother at anything he did

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

loses (to)

as in transcends

to go beyond the limit of the sales of the band's newest CD have surpassed the combined sales of its last two albums

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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 surpasses Brady, who has 187 regular-season victories, surpasses Hall of Famer Brett Favre (186) and Peyton Manning (186) for the most regular-season victories by a starting quarterback in NFL history. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 Its best parts have a grandeur that surpasses its industrial settings and gets at something eerie and transcendent. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026 The Apex also surpasses the Alphafly 4 in weight savings, as the former model is 10 percent lighter than the Alphafly 3 compared to a 5 percent reduction on the latter. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026 In recent years, Hinton, who previously worked at Google, has issued a series of warnings about existential risks associated with AI, particularly if an AI model surpasses human intelligence and becomes autonomous. — Katie McQue, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026 Money put into the fund will also not count towards a state spending limit created in the 1970s that requires the Legislature take certain actions — including refunding taxpayers — if the California’s budget surpasses a certain spending limit. — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 23 Sep. 2026 That already well surpasses a 25% foreign ownership threshold that requires the FCC's greenlight, but the company asked for clearance of up to 100% indirect equity interests to account for potential future investments — which the regulator granted. — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026 Terminator 2 is the rare sequel that surpasses its predecessor — and its predecessor set the bar pretty darn high. — Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026 Miranda Lambert lands her 19th nomination for female vocalist of the year, which surpasses Reba McEntire for the most nominations in that category. — Paul Grein, Billboard, 10 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for surpasses

Verb

From scratch thousand island dressing exceeds the seven-day use-by date.

— NWA Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
Families spend about 9% to 16% of their median annual income on full-day care for just one child, and in some cases that cost exceeds their annual rent, according to a 2024 Labor Department report.

— Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of exceeds

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surpassed

surpasses

surpassing

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“Surpasses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surpasses. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of surpasses

verb

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