Surpass Meaning
/səˈpɑːs/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo go beyond or exceed (something) in an adjudicative or literal sense.
Sentence Examples
If Spenser doesn't keep adding and translating sentences, the other contributors will surely surpass him.
Nobody can surpass him.
Do you want so much to surpass me?
CEFR Practice Quiz
Her latest test score could ____ all previous records in the class.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The athlete hopes to ____ the world record for the 100-meter sprint during the upcoming Olympic games today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French surpasser (“to pass beyond”). By surface analysis, sur- + pass. Displaced native Old English oferstīgan (literally “to climb over”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"“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.[…]”"
— 1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Tremarn Case”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:
"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."
— 2021 May 2, Emma Sanders, “Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Sheffield United”, in BBC Sport:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Her latest test score could ____ all previous records in the class.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The athlete hopes to ____ the world record for the 100-meter sprint during the upcoming Olympic games today.