excel

1. (transitive) To surpass someone or something; to be better or do better than someone or something.Examples: "I excelled everyone else with my exam results."; "La Rochefoucauld, the French philosopher, said: "If you want enemies, excel your friends; but if you want friends, let your friends excel you." Why is that true? Because when our friends excel us, that gives them a feeling of importance; but when we excel them, that gives them a feeling of inferiority and arouses envy and jealousy."Synonyms: better, outclass, outperform, bear away the bell, best, better, overtake, dwarftransitive

2. (intransitive) To be much better than others.Examples: "But it is as a destroyer of grasshoppers that the dickcissel excels."; "1924: Aristotle, Metaphysics. Translated by W. D. Ross. Nashotah, Wisconsin, USA: The Classical Library, 2001. Book 1, Part 2.. If, then, there is something in what the poets say, and jealousy is natural to the divine power, it would probably occur in this case above all, and all who excelled in this knowledge would be unfortunate."; "Lescott gave his finest England performance alongside his former Everton team-mate Phil Jagielka, who also excelled despite playing with a fractured toe, while Parker was given a deserved standing ovation when he was substituted late on."Synonyms: rock, ruleintransitive

3. (transitive, archaic, rare) To exceed, to go beyond.Examples: "She opened; but to shut / Excelled her power: the gates wide open stood […]"; "I reason, we could die : / The best vitality / Cannot excel decay; / But what of that?"Synonyms: exceed, overstep, surpass, transgress, transcend, exceed, excel, forpassarchaicraretransitive