excelled

verb

past tense of excel
as in surpassed
to be greater, better, or stronger than the special effects in this new sci-fi extravaganza excel any that we've seen previously

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of excelled But Bentley, who excelled at the position, said Lampkin has the best balance in the league outside of Aaron Brewer. — Zach Berman, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 With an overall Niche grade of A, North Star Charter School excelled with an A+ in teachers, an A in administration and an A- in academics. — Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 21 Aug. 2026 Cothiere, a Haitian-American public school educator, excelled in precincts located in North Miami and North Miami Beach, where there are significant Haitian communities. — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026 Princess Kate excelled at field hockey, captaining her team at Marlborough College. — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026 Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team, which is composed of in-house writers and editors as well as contributors—along with special consideration from fragrance experts. — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 12 Aug. 2026 Red zone offense should be a strength Where the offense has excelled at most during camp is TCU starts drives near the red zone at the 25-yard line. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Aug. 2026 Fejzo excelled academically, played the flute, and ran cross-country. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2026 Mike Caliendo Before focusing solely on football, Mike Caliendo excelled in another sport that required plenty of power. — Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excelled
  1. surpassed
  2. exceeded
  3. eclipsed
  4. topped
Verb
  • Alo continues to expand rapidly after its big yacht summer; Vuori has surpassed its goal of 100-plus stores by the end of 2026; and the UK’s Adanola secured investment from Story3 Capital, valuing the business at $530 million last year.
    — Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The move comes after all three services surpassed 45 million monthly users in the EU, the threshold for enhanced scrutiny under the DSA.
    — Barbara Moens, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of surpassed
Verb
  • One of the most striking details in Samsung's latest earnings report is that its operating profit significantly exceeded market expectations.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The 70% preliminary expectation wildly exceeded projections for fiscal 2028 revenue of roughly $570 billion, or 44% growth from fiscal 2027 (the current year).
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of exceeded
Verb
  • Avery was the mentor figure, the one destined, in the usual telling of this story, to be eclipsed.
    — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Still, a sudden downpour eclipsed the show’s start, with many attendees scrambling for cover or abruptly changing into ponchos and hoodies.
    — DeMicia Inman, VIBE.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of eclipsed
Verb
  • Orlando topped the list, followed by Miami and then Tampa after considering 45 key measures, from the cost of living and tax laws to the availability of activities and the quality of health care.
    — Medora Lee, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The production and new orders readings for the electronic machinery and equipment, computer communication devices sectors topped 53, while consumer goods production lagged at 49.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of topped

Browse Nearby Words

excel
excelled
excellence
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Cite this Entry

“Excelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excelled. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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