Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

surpass

/sɚˈpæs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.37 in modern English

Syllables: sur-pass
IPA: /sɚˈpæs/

9

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To go beyond or exceed (something) in an adjudicative or literal sense.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"The former problem student surpassed his instructor's expectations and scored top marks on his examination."
"The heavy rains threatened to surpass the capabilities of the levee, endangering the town on the other side."
"“Two or three months more went by; the public were eagerly awaiting the arrival of this semi-exotic claimant to an English peerage, and sensations, surpassing those of the Tichbourne case, were looked forward to with palpitating interest.[…]”"
"He celebrated at full-time with a beaming smile as he collected the match ball and he notched up another milestone by becoming the sixth Welshman to surpass 50 Premier League goals."

Etymology

From Middle French surpasser (“to pass beyond”). By surface analysis, sur- + pass. Displaced native Old English oferstīgan (literally “to climb over”).

Origin

Source language: Middle French

Word Breakdown

Root: surpasser

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /sɚˈpæs/
British English: /səˈpɑːs/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

surpasses (present, singular) surpassing (participle, present) surpassed (participle, past) surpassed (past)

Derived Forms

outsurpass surpassable surpassive unsurpassed

Synonyms

exceed forpass transcend excel outdo outstrip outmatch outgo surmount outperform

Rhymes With

class first-class pass gas ass middle-class mass glass grass bass brass das

Questions

How do you pronounce surpass?: The recorded pronunciation is /sɚˈpæs/.
What does surpass mean?: To go beyond or exceed (something) in an adjudicative or literal sense.
Where does surpass come from?: It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce surpass

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “surpass”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/sɚˈpæs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “surpass”.
Repeat and practice — Say “surpass” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.