surpass

English

Etymology

From Middle French surpasser (“to pass beyond”). Surface etymology is sur- +‎ pass. Displaced native Old English oferstīgan (literally “to climb over”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /səˈpɑːs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /sɚˈpæs/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːs, -æs

Verb

surpass (third-person singular simple present surpasses, present participle surpassing, simple past and past participle surpassed)

1. (transitive) To go beyond or exceed (something) in an adjudicative or literal sense.

   The former problem student surpassed his instructor's expectations and scored top marks on his examination.

   The heavy rains threatened to surpass the capabilities of the levee, endangering the town on the other side.

   • 1905, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, chapter 2, in The Tremarn Case‎^[1]:

     “Two or three months more went by; the public were eagerly awaiting the arrival of this semi-exotic claimant to an English peerage, and sensations, surpassing those of the Tichbourne case, were looked forward to with palpitating interest.  […] ”

   • 2021 May 2, Emma Sanders, “Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Sheffield United”, in BBC Sport‎^[2]:

     He celebrated at full-time with a beaming smile as he collected the match ball and he notched up another milestone by becoming the sixth Welshman to surpass 50 Premier League goals.

   • Exceed definition

     To be larger, greater than (something). (1 of 5 exceed definitions)

   • Adjudicative definition

     Of or pertaining to an adjudication or to an adjudicator.

   • Literal definition

     Exactly as stated; read or understood without additional interpretation; according to the letter or verbal expression; real; not figurative or metaphorical, and etymonic rather than idiomatic. (1 of 6 literal definitions)

Synonyms

• (to go beyond): exceed, forpass, transcend; see also Thesaurus:transcend
• (in a metaphoric or technical manner): exceed, excel, outdo, outstrip; see also Thesaurus:exceed

Translations

Further reading

• “surpass”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “surpass”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “surpass”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.