as in excesses
the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed
we have a surplus of plastic knives, but we're short on forks and spoons for the picnic
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Recent Examples of surpluses
China, other Asian economies, oil exporters and parts of Europe were accumulating surpluses.
—
James Broughel, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
The budget is trimmed as Missouri has chewed through surpluses built over years of federal pandemic aid.
—Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 5 May 2026
Opponents may argue the state needs every dollar for its own priorities, but Connecticut is in a strong fiscal position with consistent surpluses and healthy reserves.
—Jennifer Mahr, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026
They are typically funded by a country’s budgetary surpluses, which Canada currently does not have.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
For the last quarter of the 20th century, presidents and Congresses of both parties annually debated how to reduce deficits and several times reached consequential multi-year deals, culminating during the second Clinton term in four straight years of surpluses.
—Jackie Calmes, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
Huge surpluses of nutrients congregate in the dense urban corridors of the Northeast and the massive livestock hubs of the West.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 Apr. 2026
If the conflict lasts a few months and energy and trade flows return to normal, Gulf states will once again run large surpluses.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Over the course of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s term, CPS has lurched from budget crisis to budget crisis, able only to muddle through due to record-breaking mayoral declarations of tax-increment-financing surpluses.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
James Broughel, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
The budget is trimmed as Missouri has chewed through surpluses built over years of federal pandemic aid.
—Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 5 May 2026
Opponents may argue the state needs every dollar for its own priorities, but Connecticut is in a strong fiscal position with consistent surpluses and healthy reserves.
—Jennifer Mahr, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026
They are typically funded by a country’s budgetary surpluses, which Canada currently does not have.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
For the last quarter of the 20th century, presidents and Congresses of both parties annually debated how to reduce deficits and several times reached consequential multi-year deals, culminating during the second Clinton term in four straight years of surpluses.
—Jackie Calmes, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
Huge surpluses of nutrients congregate in the dense urban corridors of the Northeast and the massive livestock hubs of the West.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 Apr. 2026
If the conflict lasts a few months and energy and trade flows return to normal, Gulf states will once again run large surpluses.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Over the course of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s term, CPS has lurched from budget crisis to budget crisis, able only to muddle through due to record-breaking mayoral declarations of tax-increment-financing surpluses.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surpluses
Noun
-
These morality tales, focusing on figures like Michael Milken and Ivan Boesky, make an implicit claim that individual avarice somehow explains the excesses of an entire era.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
-
The City Council last year rolled back some of the excesses in the ordinance, though only by a 5-4 vote.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
As long as the 83/17 split remains in place, protecting local waterways from combined sewer overflows will continue to exacerbate the water affordability crisis in Detroit.—
Nicole Van Lier,
The Conversation,
13 May 2026
-
That can allow attackers to leverage serious vulnerabilities like buffer overflows and memory leaks to compromise devices.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surpluses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surpluses. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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