excel

present singular third person excels · participle present excelling · participle past excelled · past excelled

1. transitiveTo surpass someone or something; to be better or do better than someone or something.

   I excelled everyone else with my exam results.

   2 more examples

   Compositions which follow the style of Nissi Belzer's creations in structure but which excel them in length.

   1929, Abraham Zevi Idelsohn, Jewish Music: Its Historical Development, page 434

   La Rochefoucauld, the French philosopher, said: "If you want enemies, excel your friends; but if you want friends, let your friends excel you." Why is that true? Because when our friends excel us, that gives them a feeling of importance; but when we excel them, that gives them a feeling of inferiority and arouses envy and jealousy.

   1936, Dale Carnegie, “Part 3, Chapter 6: THE SAFETY VALVE IN HANDLING COMPLAINTS”, in How to Win Friends and Influence People

   Synonyms: better, outclass, outperform, bear away the bell, best, better, overtake, dwarf

2. reflexiveTo do much better than usual.

   Everyone agreed Magnus really excelled himself this tournament.

3. intransitiveTo be much better than others.

   But it is as a destroyer of grasshoppers that the dickcissel excels.

   1901, Sylvester D. Judd, The Relation of Sparrows to Agriculture, page 91

   3 more examples

   1924: Aristotle, Metaphysics. Translated by W. D. Ross. Nashotah, Wisconsin, USA: The Classical Library, 2001. Book 1, Part 2.. If, then, there is something in what the poets say, and jealousy is natural to the divine power, it would probably occur in this case above all, and all who excelled in this knowledge would be unfortunate.

   Lescott gave his finest England performance alongside his former Everton team-mate Phil Jagielka, who also excelled despite playing with a fractured toe, while Parker was given a deserved standing ovation when he was substituted late on.

   2011 November 12, “International friendly: England 1-0 Spain”, in BBC Sport

   From Rosie the Riveter to Coco Channel^([sic – meaning Coco Chanel]) (in pants!), from Amelia Earhart to the quaintrelle (the female dandy), change in women's dress has symbolized everything from the right and need to work outside the home to wearing pants as a fashion statement to excelling at a profession (even as an aviatrix) to once again claiming the right to cultivate life's pleasures.

   2011, Glenda L. Swetman, Alison Trappey, “Principles of Gender-specific Medicine”, in Lawrence Charles Parish, Sarah Brenner, Marcia Ramos-e-Silva, Jennifer L. Parish, editors, Manual of Gender Dermatology, Sudbury, Mass.; Mississauga, Ont.: Jones & Bartlett Learning, →ISBN, part I (Primer of Gender Dermatology), page 9

   Synonyms: rock, rule

4. archaicraretransitiveTo exceed, to go beyond.

   She opened; but to shut / Excelled her power: the gates wide open stood […]

   1674, John Milton, Paradise lost, book II

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   I reason, we could die : / The best vitality / Cannot excel decay; / But what of that?

   a. 1887 (date written), Emily Dickinson, “[Book IV.—Time and Eternity] I reason, earth is short”, in Mabel Loomis Todd and T[homas] W[entworth] Higginson, editors, Poems, First Series, Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, published 1890, →OCLC, page 134

   Synonyms: exceed, overstep, surpass, transgress, transcend, exceed, forpass, go beyond

1. computingMicrosoft Excel, a spreadsheet application software program written and distributed by Microsoft.

   “Do you know Excel?” ¶ “No.” ¶ “Could you learn?” ¶ “Probably not. I find it very difficult to learn things I don't already know.” Then, remembering the advice that I try to sell myself, I added, “But I'm sure I'd pick it up eventually.”

   2013, Iris Smyles, Iris Has Free Time, Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint, →ISBN, page 9