exceed

verb ex·ceed \ ik-ˈsēd \

Updated on: 4 Dec 2017

Definition of exceed

transitive verb

1 : to extend outside of

the river will exceed its banks

2 : to be greater than or superior to

3 : to go beyond a limit set by

exceeded his authority

intransitive verb

1 obsolete : overdo

2 : predominate

See exceed defined for English-language learners

See exceed defined for kids

Examples of exceed in a Sentence

The cost must not exceed 10 dollars.
The cost exceeded our estimate.
The demand for new housing has already exceeded the supply.
He's trying to match or exceed last year's sales.

Recent Examples of exceed from the Web

Nearly every day, the load of particulate matter in the air outside my house exceeds the healthy maximum set by the World Health Organization.

— veronique greenwood, The Atlantic, "How Trust Shapes Nations' Safety Rules," 1 Nov. 2017
For Silicon Valley, betting on one of these early can mean profiting beyond all imagination, exceeding even the famed 1,000x start-up returns from companies like Facebook and Uber.

— nick bilton, The Hive, "Why Silicon Valley Is Going Gaga for Bitcoin," 18 Oct. 2017
Finance director Mackay said the bank wouldn’t exceed the goal this year.

— stephen morris, Bloomberg.com, "HSBC's Asia Push Bearing Fruit for Gulliver Before Hand-Off," 30 Oct. 2017
Truck can't exceed 12 feet, 6 inches in height and must not allow any leakage of the product.

— james bruggers, The Courier-Journal, "MSD is giving away treated sewage sludge fertilizer - but you need a really big truck," 13 Oct. 2017
The association measures affordability by checking if the monthly housing payment does not exceed 30 percent of gross monthly income.

— phillip molnar, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Forecast: California home prices will continue to rise in 2018," 12 Oct. 2017
The effects of repealing the plan altogether are unclear, in large part because some big states, like California and New York, are already moving full speed ahead to hit or exceed the target laid out by the initiative.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Scott Pruitt Announces Attempt to Repeal Obama’s Clean Power Plan," 9 Oct. 2017
And if a sitcom’s reach can’t exceed its grasp, what’s a fake heaven for?

— james poniewozik, New York Times, "Review: In Season 2, ‘The Good Place’ Blows Itself Up, Hilariously," 19 Sep. 2017
But with crisp fastball command and better secondary pitches, Moore exceeded the minimal expectations.

— ryan divish, The Seattle Times, "Mariners’ postseason hopes fade some with sweep by Astros," 6 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exceed.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of exceed

Middle English exceden, from Middle French exceder, from Latin excedere, from ex- + cedere to go

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First Known Use: 14th century

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exceed Synonyms

Synonyms

break, outreach, outrun, overpass, overreach, overrun, overshoot, overstep, surpass, transcend

Related Words

encroach, entrench (also intrench), infringe, invade, trespass; overdo, overuse, overutilize, overwork

Near Antonyms

lose (to)

Synonym Discussion of exceed

exceed, surpass, transcend, excel, outdo, outstrip mean to go or be beyond a stated or implied limit, measure, or degree. exceed implies going beyond a limit set by authority or established by custom or by prior achievement.

- exceed the speed limit

surpass suggests superiority in quality, merit, or skill.

- the book surpassed our expectations

transcend implies a rising or extending notably above or beyond ordinary limits.

- transcended the values of their culture

excel implies preeminence in achievement or quality and may suggest superiority to all others.

- excels in mathematics

outdo applies to a bettering or exceeding what has been done before.

- outdid herself this time

outstrip suggests surpassing in a race or competition.

- outstripped other firms in sales

EXCEED Defined for English Language Learners

exceed

verb

Definition of exceed for English Language Learners

: to be greater or more than (something) : to be better than (something)
: to go beyond the limit of (something)

EXCEED Defined for Kids

exceed

verb ex·ceed \ ik-ˈsēd \

Definition of exceed for Students

exceeded; exceeding

1 : to be greater than

The cost must not exceed 100 dollars.

2 : to go or be beyond the limit of

Don't exceed the speed limit.

Word Root of exceed

The Latin word cedere, meaning “to go,” gives us the root ced. Words from the Latin cedere have something to do with going. To precede is to go before. To exceed is to go beyond a limit. To proceed is to go forward. To recede is to go back or away.