Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

above and beyond

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.77 in modern English

Syllables: above and be-yond
IPA

26

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep

Further than; doing more than is expected or required.

adv

Doing more than is expected or required.

Example Sentences

"The hospital staff often go above and beyond what is required of them."
"Putting in overtime with no pay is above and beyond the call of duty."
"And what incredible access we were given (and thus passed on via the magic of television to a potentially huge audience), because of the work put in by the production team and TfL staff going above and beyond the call of duty."
"Boy, they sure went above and beyond when they were planning this party!"

Etymology

Shortened from the phrase above and beyond the call of duty, referring to heroic behavior during a military operation (“conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty”), traditionally used in citations of awards of a U.S. Medal of Honor.

Frequently Paired Words

extraordinary supererogation superlative

Questions

What does above and beyond mean?: Further than; doing more than is expected or required.
Where does above and beyond come from?: Shortened from the phrase above and beyond the call of duty, referring to heroic behavior during a military operation (“conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty”), traditionally used in citations of awards of a U.S. Medal of Honor.

How to pronounce above and beyond

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