- to be superior to (another or others); surpass
- (intransitive; followed by in or at) to be outstandingly good or proficient: he excels at tennis
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ex•cel /ɪkˈsɛl/USA pronunciation
v. [~ (+ in/at) + object] -celled, -cel•ling.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to surpass others or be superior in some respect;
do extremely well:She excels in math.
ex•cel
(ik sel′),USA pronunciation v., -celled, -cel•ling.
v.i.
v.t.
v.i.
- to surpass others or be superior in some respect or area;
do extremely well:to excel in math.
v.t.
- to surpass;
be superior to;
outdo:He excels all other poets of his day.
- Latin excellere, equivalent. to ex- ex-1 + -cellere to rise high, tower (akin to celsus high)
- late Middle English excellen 1400–50
- 2. outstrip, eclipse, transcend, exceed, top, beat. Excel, outdo, surpass imply being better than others or being superior in achievement. To excel is to be superior in some quality, attainment, or performance:to excel opponents at playing chess.To outdo is to make more successful effort than others:to outdo competitors in the high jump.To surpass is to go beyond others, esp. in a contest as to quality or ability:to surpass one's classmates in knowledge of corporation law.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
excel /ɪkˈsɛl/ vb ( -cels, -celling, -celled)
(Advertisement)
'excel' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
cap
- exceed
- outgun
- pasqueflower
- shine
- antecede
- beat
- column
- compete
- dredge
- driven
- emulate
- emulation
- excellence
- excellent
- Excelsior Springs
- head
- lead
- outdo
- outfoot
- outgo
- outpoint
- outrun
- outspeak
- outstrip
- outthink
- overtop
- pass
- prest
- top
- transcend
- trump
- unexcelling
- surpass
