exceed

To be larger, greater than (something).

Verb

  1. To be larger, greater than (something).
    • The company's 2005 revenue exceeds that of 2004.
  2. To be better than (something).
    • The quality of her essay has exceeded my expectations.
  3. To go beyond (some limit); to surpass; to be longer than.
    • Your password cannot exceed eight characters.
    • Name the time, but let it not / Exceed three days. - c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […]...
    • Becoming more aware of the progress that scientists have made on behavioral fronts can reduce the risk that other natural scientists will resort to mystical agential accounts when they exceed the limits of their own...
  4. To predominate.
  5. To go too far; to be excessive.
    • And to speak impartially, old Men, from whom we should expect the greatest example of Wisdom, do most exceed in this point of folly […]. - 1646, Sir Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, I.6:

Origin

From Middle English exceden, from Old French exceder, from Latin excēdō (“to go beyond”), from ex- (“out, forth”) with cēdō (“to go”); see cede and compare accede etc. Partly displaced native Old English ofersteppan, whence Modern English overstep.

Forms

exceeds exceeding exceeded excede

Synonyms

outbalance outweigh top excel outperform surpass outstep overstep cross the line bear away the bell best better overtake dwarf eclipse exceed hold the cards outclass outdo outmatch overbear outrival outrun outshadow

Antonyms

to fail to be inferior to fall short to fall below to subceed come short

Hypernyms

be unequal

Related

excess excessive excessively

Derived

exceedable exceedance exceeder exceeding exceedingly unexceeded