Meaning
The verb surpass means to go beyond or exceed something in quality, amount, level, or achievement. It often conveys the idea of being better than expected or outperforming others.
Grammar and Usage
- Part of speech: Verb
- Verb type: Transitive (requires an object)
Typical structures
- surpass something – to be better or greater than something
- surpass expectations – to achieve more than anticipated
- surpass oneself – to perform better than one has before
Common Phrases
- surpass expectations – to do better than expected
- surpass a record – to break or go beyond a record
- surpass in quality – to be superior in quality
- surpass oneself – to outdo one’s own previous achievements
Collocations
- surpass expectations/limits/records
- surpass in beauty/skill/ability
- surpass all others
- surpass the competition
Examples
- The athlete’s performance surpassed all previous records.
- His kindness surpassed anything I had ever experienced.
- The new phone model surpasses its predecessor in speed and design.
- The chef surpassed himself with the delicious meal.
- Sales this year have surpassed expectations by 20%.
- Her courage surpassed that of anyone else in the group.
- This book surpasses the author’s earlier works in depth and clarity.
- The movie surpassed the director’s previous box office success.
- The student’s progress has surpassed the teacher’s hopes.
- Technology continues to surpass human imagination.
Synonyms or Related
- exceed
- outdo
- outperform
- eclipse
- outshine
- overtake
- transcend