What does surpass mean?
Word: Surpass
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Surpass means to do better than someone or something, or to go beyond what was expected.
Synonyms: outdo
How do you spell surpass?
Syllables: sur - pass
Tricky part: Only one s is heard at the end, so pupils stop too soon. The word needs a double s.
Watch out for: surpas, surpase, surpess
Memory tip: A student who surpasses the rest finishes top of the class, and class finishes with the same two letters.
Surpass in a sentence
Example 1: Sales of the new book may surpass all the publisher's hopes.
Example 2: Nobody thought the young team could surpass last year's champions.
Example 3: Maya worked hard to surpass her own best time in the pool.
Fun Fact
English borrowed it from French in the 1500s. The French word pictures someone passing over the top of another, which suits a record being beaten.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
One word in the list is misspelt and three are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. persevere 2. serpass 3. accomplish 4. overtake
a) to rise above an earlier best
b) to go past a moving vehicle
c) to keep trying in spite of difficulty
d) to succeed in finishing something
Show answer
a) to rise above an earlier best. The first syllable of the second word has the wrong vowel: it should match surface.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word surpass as used in the sentence:
The principal predicts that this year's science fair will surpass last year's in size and quality.
a) exceed
b) equal
c) follow
d) resemble
Show answer
a) exceed. The fair is expected to go past last year's, not merely match it.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence contains a jumbled word. Choose the word it hides:
Few young bowlers will ever ussrsap her record of sixty wickets in one season.
a) surprise
b) bypass
c) surplus
d) surpass
Show answer
d) surpass. Three s's, one a and no l, y or i: only one word can use them.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
surrpass
a) r
b) a
c) u
d) p
Show answer
a) r. A single r closes the opening syllable, as in surface.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The new bridge surpassed all earlier ones in length. What does this mean?
a) It is longer than any built before it
b) It is shorter than any built before it
c) It is as long as the one beside it
d) It took longer to build than the rest
Show answer
a) It is longer than any built before it
2. Which sentence shows someone surpassing a target?
a) Sara aimed for 50 runs and scored 72.
b) Sara aimed for 50 runs and scored 34.
c) Sara aimed for 50 runs and scored 50.
d) Sara aimed for 50 runs and scored 12.
Show answer
a) Sara aimed for 50 runs and scored 72.
