excess

1 of 3

noun

ex·cess ik-ˈses

ˈek-ˌses

Synonyms of excess next

: the state or an instance of surpassing usual, proper, or specified limits : superfluity

: the amount or degree by which one thing or quantity exceeds another

an excess of 10 bushels

: undue or immoderate indulgence : intemperance

also : an act or instance of intemperance

prevent excesses and abuses by newly created local powers —

Albert Shanker

excess

2 of 3

adjective

: more than the usual, proper, or specified amount

excess

3 of 3

verb

excessed; excessing; excesses

transitive verb

: to eliminate the position of

excessed several teachers because of budget cutbacks

Phrases

in excess of

: to an amount or degree beyond : over

Example Sentences

Noun They were equipped with an excess of provisions. The tests found an excess of sodium in his blood. He lived a life of excess. The movie embraces all the worst excesses of popular American culture. the violent excesses of the military regime He apologized for his past excesses. Adjective Basketball provided an outlet for their excess energy. She is trying to eliminate excess fat and calories from her diet. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Then move them out of the water so the excess drains away. —

Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2023 Moore’s Bond movies tapped into a ’70s excess that could come off as silly or, in the case of Moonraker, on the delicious side of campy. —

Paul Schrodt, Vulture, 23 June 2023 So, when there is abuse, when there is an excess, when human rights are violated, those responsible must be punished. —

Alfredo Meza, CNN, 7 June 2023 One possibility is that at higher levels, the structure of HDL molecules changes in a way that prevents them from binding tightly with circulating cholesterol to help clear the excess from the blood, Santulli says. —

Lydia Denworth, Scientific American, 1 June 2023 Farce is a difficult form to get a handle on, and critiques of its excesses are open to accusations of missing the point, of overthinking a genre that’s essentially designed to blow a raspberry at such pretension. —

Jessica Kiang, Variety, 26 May 2023 Over time, an excess of melatonin could cause liver damage, according to Saito. —

Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 2 May 2023 Working with 1 egg at a time, place a wooden pick in base of egg, and dip in blueberry mixture to coat; swirl egg to shake off excess. —

People Staff, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2023 In 2018, Hunter Biden also received taxable income in excess of $1.5 million and owed the government income tax in the excess of $100,000 and failed to pay it, prosecutors said. —

Shannon Larson, BostonGlobe.com, 20 June 2023

Adjective

Drain off the excess juice into a bowl and reserve. —

Kate Krader, Bloomberg.com, 13 Nov. 2020 Applying a paste made of aspirin immediately removes excess oil and dead skin. —

Sarah Wu, Glamour, 8 Sep. 2020 For instance, even before the latest surge in cases, Spain had suffered an excess death rate of 95 per 100,000 since the start of the pandemic. —

Cassidy Morrison, Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2020 Backers include the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and American Farm Bureau Federation, which have pushed for the slaughter of excess horses that compete for forage with livestock grazing on U.S. lands. —

Scott Sonner, Star Tribune, 21 Aug. 2020 Unfilled officer positions also left a discrepancy in the salary fund, and the excess money was part of what was allocated. —

Jessica Saggio | Contributing Writer, NOLA.com, 20 Aug. 2020 Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, pressing the eggplant into the pan and turning it from time to time, until the eggplant is cooked through and glazed and any excess marinade has evaporated, 5-6 minutes. —

Paul Stephen, ExpressNews.com, 19 Aug. 2020 Using a clean toothbrush, gently brush away excess dirt from any nooks it may be trapped in, taking care to rinse the toothbrush before tackling tougher sections. —

Sara Rodrigues, House Beautiful, 19 Aug. 2020 Air-tight containers are the best option, since excess air will dry out your wipes faster. —

Sandra Gutierrez G., Popular Science, 19 Aug. 2020

Verb

That suggests existing protections won’t have much force until the state extends its new worker-misclassification law (which cracks down on employers who rely to excess on gig workers) to temporary employees. —

Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 22 Sep. 2021 You’ve been quoted as saying that that is really what the film is about — not so much drinking to excess as embracing the uncontrollable. —

David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2021 Meacham is a nonideological historian and McGraw is a country star, two professions that were built for caution, something McGraw occasionally takes to excess. —

Allison Stewart, chicagotribune.com, 11 July 2019 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'excess.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Late Latin; Anglo-French exces, from Late Latin excessus, from Latin, departure, projection, from excedere to exceed

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1971, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of excess was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century