v., -celled, -cel·ling, -cels. v.tr.
To do or be better than; surpass.
v.intr.
To show superiority; surpass others.
[Middle English excellen, from Latin excellere.]
SYNONYMS excel, surpass, exceed, transcend, outdo, outstrip. These verbs mean to be or go beyond a limit or standard. To excel is to be preeminent (excels at figure skating) or to be at a level higher than another or others (excelled her father as a lawyer). To surpass another is to be superior in performance, quality, or degree: an athlete surpassed by none. Exceed can refer to being superior (an invention that exceeds all others in ingenuity), to being greater than another (a salary exceeding 70 thousand dollars a year), and to going beyond a proper limit (exceed one's authority). Transcend often implies the attainment of a level so high that comparison is hardly possible: Great art transcends mere rules of composition. To outdo is to excel in doing or performing: won't be outdone in generosity. Outstrip strongly suggests leaving another behind, as in a contest: a case of the student outstripping the teacher.
