as in exceeding
to be greater, better, or stronger than
the special effects in this new sci-fi extravaganza excel any that we've seen previously
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Recent Examples of excelling
Bergvall, despite injuries, has played well for a struggling Tottenham Hotspur team, while Gyokeres, without truly excelling, is part of an Arsenal team flying towards the Premier League title.
—
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Third Future has established a reputation across its 12 campuses for excelling at improving student outcomes.
—Noah Alcala Bach, San Antonio Express-News, 24 Mar. 2026
And Jordan's performances as Smoke and Stack are indeed confident and distinctive, not just in their different sartorial choices but in their mannerisms, with the actor excelling at portraying both Smoke's stoic practicality and Stack's swaggering charm.
—Ken Simmons, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
Flagship smartphones have quietly become capable of astrophotography, with ‘night modes’ often excelling at revealing stars, the Milky Way and aurora.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Eva, 16, and Chase, 10, are excelling at school and the family is saving big.
—Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 7 Mar. 2026
Aubrey Meyer, Colerain High School Aubrey Meyer, a student at Colerain High School, has sought out the most challenging curriculum available, excelling in a full load of Honors and AP courses.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Feb. 2026
But the sight of a Jew excelling in sports is even more than a bit of representational inspiration.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
The truth is, managing a game and operating within a system of offense are two of the most important things about excelling at the most demanding position in professional sports.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Third Future has established a reputation across its 12 campuses for excelling at improving student outcomes.
—Noah Alcala Bach, San Antonio Express-News, 24 Mar. 2026
And Jordan's performances as Smoke and Stack are indeed confident and distinctive, not just in their different sartorial choices but in their mannerisms, with the actor excelling at portraying both Smoke's stoic practicality and Stack's swaggering charm.
—Ken Simmons, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
Flagship smartphones have quietly become capable of astrophotography, with ‘night modes’ often excelling at revealing stars, the Milky Way and aurora.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Eva, 16, and Chase, 10, are excelling at school and the family is saving big.
—Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 7 Mar. 2026
Aubrey Meyer, Colerain High School Aubrey Meyer, a student at Colerain High School, has sought out the most challenging curriculum available, excelling in a full load of Honors and AP courses.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Feb. 2026
But the sight of a Jew excelling in sports is even more than a bit of representational inspiration.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
The truth is, managing a game and operating within a system of offense are two of the most important things about excelling at the most demanding position in professional sports.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excelling
Verb
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An earlier December lawsuit had been dismissed by the judge, who said the organization did not sufficiently prove the president was exceeding his powers.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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The market capitalization of a company like Apple in December 2023 reached $3 trillion, exceeding the combined GDP of at least 140 countries.—
Sven van Mourik,
The Dial,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Three months after the Prescott deal, Juan Soto agreed to the biggest-ever contract in MLB, signing a 15-year deal worth a staggering $765m with the New York Mets, surpassing Shohei Ohtani’s $700m deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers announced in late 2023.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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Her season total for points was the fifth-best in program history, surpassing Sophie Cunningham’s 2018-19 mark.—
Aaron Segal,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The 45 in the Celtics’ Wednesday night victory is now the second-highest total, eclipsing a pair of 44 3-pointer games.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
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The Congressional Budget Office projects debt held by the public will surge from 101% of GDP today to 120% of GDP by 2036, eclipsing the post–World War II record.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Alexander-Walker, known more for his defense, is averaging more than 20 points per game after never topping 10 during his eight seasons as a bench player in New Orleans, Utah and Minnesota.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
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After wrapping up his performance of chart-topping classics and ATL anthems with Sleepy Brown, Big Boi made his way from the stage to the Impossible Foods food truck not to eat, at least not right away, but to serve.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excelling. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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