Meanings
verbexceed (third-person singular simple present exceeds, present participle exceeding, simple past and past participle exceeded)
present singular third person exceeds · participle present exceeding · participle past exceeded · past exceeded · alternative obsolete excede
- transitiveTo be larger, greater than (something).
The company's 2005 revenue exceeds that of 2004.
Synonyms: outbalance, outweigh, top
- transitiveTo go beyond (some limit); to surpass; to be longer than.
Your password cannot exceed eight characters.
2 more examples
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 […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]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 disciplinary training.
2012 January 28, Stephen Ledoux, “Behaviorism at 100”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 10 Nov 2013, page 60Synonyms: outstep
- intransitiveTo predominate.
- intransitiveobsoleteTo 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.6Synonyms: cross the line
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo be larger, greater than (something).
Similar
verbTo be better than (something).
Similar
verbTo go beyond (some limit); to surpass; to be longer than.
Similar
verbTo go too far; to be excessive.
Similar
Opposite
Broader
More synonyms by meaning
verbbe superior or better than some standard
verbbe or do something to a greater degree
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinexcēdō“to go beyond”
- Old Frenchexceder
- Middle Englishexceden
- Englishexceed
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.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ὑπερβάλλω, ὑπερβάλλω
- ὑπερβάλλω (huperbállō)to be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- ὑπερβάλλω (huperbállō)to go beyond the limits of something
Arabic كَبُرَ, تَخَطَّى
- كَبُرَ (kabura)to be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- تَخَطَّى (taḵaṭṭā)to be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- تَجَاوَز (tajāwaz)to be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- فَاقَ (fāqa)to be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- فَاقَ (fāqa)to be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- عَلَا (ʕalā)to go beyond the limits of something
- تَخَطَّى (taḵaṭṭā)to go beyond the limits of something
- تَجَاوَزَ (tajāwaza)to go beyond the limits of something
- فَاقَ (fāqa)to go beyond the limits of something
Bulgarian превъзхо́ждам, надвиша́вам
- превъзхо́ждам (prevăzhóždam)to be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- надвиша́вам (nadvišávam)to go beyond the limits of something
- надхвъ́рлям (nadhvắrljam)to go beyond the limits of something
Catalan excedir, excedir
- excedirto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- excedirto go beyond the limits of something
Czech převýšit, přesáhnout
- převýšitto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- přesáhnoutto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- překročitto go beyond the limits of something
Danish overskride, overgå
- overskrideto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- overgåto be better than something else or than expected or desirable
Dutch overschrijden, overstijgen
- overschrijdento be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- overstijgento be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- overtreffento be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- overstijgento be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- overtreffento be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- overschrijdento go beyond the limits of something
- te buiten gaanto go beyond the limits of something
- overstijgento go beyond the limits of something
Finnish ylittää, ylittää
- ylittääto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- ylittääto be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- ylittääto go beyond the limits of something
French excéder, excéder
- excéderto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- excéderto go beyond the limits of something
- dépasserto go beyond the limits of something
German überschreiten, hinausgehen über
- überschreitento be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- hinausgehen überto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- übertreffento be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- übersteigento be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- überbietento be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- überrundento be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- übertrumpfento be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- überschreitento go beyond the limits of something
- hinausgehen überto go beyond the limits of something
Hebrew חָרַג
- חָרַג (ẖarág)to go beyond the limits of something
Hungarian meghalad, túllép
- meghaladto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- túllépto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- felülmúlto be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- túllépto go beyond the limits of something
- meghaladto go beyond the limits of something
Indonesian melampaui, melampaui
- melampauito be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- melampauito go beyond the limits of something
Italian superare
- superareto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
Japanese 超える, 越える
- 超える (koeru)to go beyond the limits of something
- 越える (koeru)to go beyond the limits of something
Māori hipa, pahika
- hipato be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- pahikato be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- hipato go beyond the limits of something
Norwegian overskride, overgå
- overskrideto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- overgåto be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- overstigeto be better than something else or than expected or desirable
Polish przewyższać, wykraczać
- przewyższaćto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- wykraczaćto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- przekraczaćto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
Portuguese exceder, superar
- excederto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- superarto be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- excederto go beyond the limits of something
Romanian depăși, întrece
- depășito be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- întreceto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- depășito be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- întreceto be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- excedato go beyond the limits of something
- depășito go beyond the limits of something
- covârșito go beyond the limits of something
Russian превосходи́ть, превосходи́ть
- превосходи́ть (prevosxodítʹ)to be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- превосходи́ть (prevosxodítʹ)to be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- превыша́ть (prevyšátʹ)to go beyond the limits of something
Spanish exceder, exceder
- excederto be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- excederto be better than something else or than expected or desirable
- excederto go beyond the limits of something
Ukrainian переви́щувати, переви́щити
- переви́щувати (perevýščuvaty)to be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
- переви́щити (perevýščyty)to be larger, greater than something else or than expected or desirable
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with exceed
readneedspeedleadfeedagreedindeedspreadreedproceedsucceedweedReidbeaddeedcreedliedmeadgreedbleedtweedheedpleadeid
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
exceed. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exceed
MLA
“exceed.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exceed. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “exceed,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exceed.
Source: exceed on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.