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to surpass

to surpass

100 4.6
To be better than another person or thing
  • verb
  • /sərˈpæs/
translation icon : superar
  • At the end of 2010, the army was almost 143,000 strong, surpassing that year's goal of 134,000 soldiers.
  • equal or surpass
  • surpass previous levels
  • surpass limits

And then, my friends, you're going to surpass all expectations.

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Examples

  • His latest novel managed to surpass all of his previous works in popularity and critical acclaim.

  • Why, he wondered, did the prosperity of the Dutch surpass that of the English?

    Academic text (1990)
  • You meet the record, you surpass the record, and you decide to keep going.

  • And I started to surpass what I believed, what I believed I was worth.

  • China will never surpass the United States.

  • What happens when we surpass this level?

  • You surpass them like a queen.

  • That's when you will surpass everyone around you because you just did the work.

  • It's the rare sequel that surpasses the original.

  • I knew that hotels in Dubai were nice and pretty, but this suite has surpassed my wildest hotel dreams.

Synonyms

to exceed
vsto surpass
255 4.1

To be greater than a set amount or beyond what people expect

includes doing better than others as well as passing limits or goals
to pass
vsto surpass
107 3.4

To be better than a set standard

also applies to beating people or achieving higher results
to transcend
vsto surpass
  • Formal
101 6.8

To go beyond a limit or expectation

is more concrete, often about beating others or exceeding set achievements
to do better than that
vsto surpass
58 3.0

Show a higher level of skill or quality than before

can mean doing better than other people or exceeding a fixed standard
to better
vsto surpass
35 1.8

To improve something

is used for doing more than others and exceeding set standards
to outperform
vsto surpass
30 4.8

Do better than someone or something

is a general term for exceeding standards or achievements
to go above and beyond
vsto surpass
26 3.7

To do more than is required to help others or complete a task

is often used for beating others or exceeding formal standards
to outdo
vsto surpass
22 3.8

Be better than someone at something

can also mean going beyond a standard, not only beating someone
to outshine
vsto surpass
15 4.8

Do better and get more attention than others

emphasizes being better in result or standard, not only appearance
to outmatch
vsto surpass
8 6.4

Do better than someone in skill or performance

is broader, also meaning go beyond standards or achievements
to outclass
vsto surpass
8 4.6

To be much better than someone or something

can mean a smaller advantage or simply go beyond a standard
to prevail over
vsto surpass
8 5.8

To win against someone or something that tries to stop you

focuses on general superiority or exceeding standards rather than winning fights
to outstrip
vsto surpass
7 6.8

To become faster, better, or larger than another

focuses on being better or exceeding a measure, not only speed
to outgain
vsto surpass
2 6.7

To gain more than someone else, especially in a competition

is broader, covering overall superiority not only measurable gains
to go past
vsto surpass
2 3.5

Be better than a limit or what people expected

covers doing better than persons as well as exceeding standards
to overachieve
vsto surpass
1 5.3

To do better than people expect and have more success

focuses on doing better than others or reaching higher standards not expectations
to outstand
vsto surpass
7.6

To be better than others in skill or quality

also means doing better in many contexts, not just standing out
to outvie
vsto surpass
  • Archaic
9.9

To try to be better than someone in a contest or task

can be neutral, simply meaning to go beyond a level or achievement
to outgo
vsto surpass
8.1

To be better than another person or thing

is more current and used for broader comparisons and standards
to outpass
vsto surpass
8.1

To move past another person or thing and go ahead of them

also covers beating others in quality or exceeding set goals
to overgo
vsto surpass
  • Archaic
9.1

To do better than someone or something

matches this use but is more common for people and standards
to transpass
vsto surpass
  • Archaic
9.9

To go past a limit or cross a border

is used broadly for doing better, not only physical crossing of limits

Antonyms

898 1.0

Not succeed in doing something you wanted to do

To do worse than expected or needed

How Superior

to eclipse
31 6.0
to outclass
8 4.6
to top
146 2.4
to surpass
100 4.6
to outperform
30 4.8
to beat
1.4

Surface Forms

surpass infinitive
surpassed past
surpassed past participle
surpassing present participle
surpasses third person singular

Morphology

surpass = pass (transparent) = sur + pass

The sense is directly derived from 'sur-' (over/beyond) + 'pass' meaning to go beyond or exceed, which B1 learners can plausibly infer.

Etymology

Surpass comes from two parts: super- which means 'over' (seen in super) and pass which means 'go by' or 'move past'. So to surpass someone is to 'go beyond' them or be better than them.