to surmount

Examples

• All

• He felt a sense of accomplishment when he could surmount the steep trail to the mountain peak.

• Another scene, this one with somewhat more complex imagery, portrays a dog surmounting a horse; an umbrella in turn surmounts the dog (Fig. 5).

  Academic text (1990)

• With this card, I'll surmount the God Cards and stand atop the apex of duel monsters!

  Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie (2004)

• All hard places can be surmounted and the summit reached by the Divine Goat—a symbol meaning group effort.

  Blog text (14)

• The surmounting ridge ran all the way from the point called Boutillier to Petionville, where it merged into other such formations.

  Academic text (1990)

• How swiftly Caesar had surmounted the icy Alps... ...and in his mind conceived immense upheavals, coming war.

  Gods and Generals (2003)

• I'm an occasional trekker and dedicated armchair mountaineer who has made it a goal to surmount the massif of books written about climbing Mount Everest.

  Blog text (34)

• The black figure at the right, meanwhile, four rectangles high, possesses a head and feet of equal size and a triangular body in between, with two identical dancers surmounting three more standing symmetrically below.

  Academic text (2003)

• The bows on her sleeves dance with mischief, her pearl choker a high marble wall to be surmounted for the pleasure of her throat, her exhausted body all things to all men.

  Fiction book (1990)

• To the students of any art, there is always a peculiar charm when the highest difficulties are surmounted with such ease that the consummate art is hidden to all who know not the magic password to unveil it (p. xlii).

  Academic text (2017)

Synonyms

R

to rise

vsto surmount

718 1.0

To move upward into the air, like smoke or mist

focuses on arriving at the highest point after effort rather than general upward movement

G

to go up

vsto surmount

442 1.0

To move to a higher position

means reaching the top after overcoming, not merely rising to a higher position

A

to ascend

vsto surmount

54 4.0

To move upward to a higher place, for example up a hill or into the sky

implies reaching the highest point after overcoming, not just upward movement

T

to top

vsto surmount

46 1.5

To reach the highest point or part of something

focuses on reaching that point especially after overcoming difficulty

C

to crest

vsto surmount

• Informal

22 5.5

To reach the highest point, as a wave or feeling

applies more to physical peaks and overcoming obstacles rather than waves

S

to scale

vsto surmount

15 3.1

To climb up a wall or ladder to reach a higher place

focuses on reaching the top after overcoming not just the act of climbing

R

to reach the summit

vsto surmount

6 3.1

Get to the top of a mountain or the highest point in your career

emphasizes doing so after climbing or overcoming difficulties

S

to summit

vsto surmount

5 6.2

To reach the top of a mountain

stresses that this follows a climb or overcoming an obstacle

C

to climb up

vsto surmount

5 1.6

To rise to a higher position, for example at work or on music charts

is about rising in rank or status, not reaching and overcoming a physical top

B

to breast

vsto surmount

• Archaic

1 8.3

To reach the top of a hill or mountain

highlights arrival after overcoming or climbing the obstacle

O

to overtop

vsto surmount

1 6.5

To be higher than something so you can look down at it

means reaching the top after overcoming rather than just being higher

A

to ascend the mountain

vsto surmount

3.7

To climb a mountain

emphasizes reaching the top after overcoming obstacles rather than the upward travel

Antonyms

D

to descend

150 2.7

Move from a higher to a lower place

F

to fall short

64 3.9

Fail to reach the level people expect

How High

to surmount

1 6.8

to reach

∞ 1.1

to ascend

54 4.0

to climb

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology