The difference between Exceed and Surpass

When used as verbs, exceed means to be larger, greater than (something), whereas surpass means to go beyond, especially in a metaphoric or technical manner.


check bellow for the other definitions of Exceed and Surpass

  1. Exceed as a verb (transitive):

    To be larger, greater than (something).

    Examples:

    "The company's 2005 revenue exceeds that of 2004."

  2. Exceed as a verb (transitive):

    To be better than (something).

    Examples:

    "The quality of her essay has exceeded my expectations."

  3. Exceed as a verb (transitive):

    To go beyond (some limit); to surpass, outstrip or transcend.

    Examples:

    "Your password cannot exceed eight characters."

  4. Exceed as a verb (intransitive):

    To predominate.

  5. Exceed as a verb (intransitive, obsolete):

    To go too far; to be excessive.

  1. Surpass as a verb (transitive):

    To go beyond, especially in a metaphoric or technical manner; to exceed.

    Examples:

    "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."

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