Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense excels, present participle excelling, past tense, past participle excelled
verb
If someone excelsin something or excelsat it, they are very good at doing it.
Caine has always been an actor who excels in irony. [VERB + in]
Mary was a better rider than either of them and she excelled at outdoor sports. [VERB + at]
Academically he began to excel. [VERB]
I think Krishnan excelled himself in all departments of his game. [VERB pronoun-reflexive]
Synonyms: be superior, better, pass, eclipse More Synonyms of excel
excel in British English
(ɪkˈsɛl)
verbWord forms: -cels, -celling or -celled
1.
to be superior to (another or others); surpass
2. (intr; foll by in or at)
to be outstandingly good or proficient
he excels at tennis
Word origin
C15: from Latin excellere to rise up
excel in American English
(ɛkˈsɛl; ɪkˈsɛl)
verb intransitive, verb transitiveWord forms: exˈcelled or exˈcelling
to be better or greater than, or superior to (another or others)
SYNONYMY NOTE: excel implies superiority in some quality, skill, achievement, etc. over all or over theone (or ones) specified [to excel at chess]; surpass implies a going beyond (someone or something specified) in degree, amount, or quality[no one surpasses him in generosity]; transcend suggests a surpassing to an extreme degree [it transcends all understanding]; outdo implies a going beyond someone else or a previous record in performance [he will not be outdone in bravery]
Word origin
ME excellen < OFr exceller < L excellere, to raise, surpass, excel < ex-, out of, from + -cellere, to rise, project < IE base *kel-, to project > hill, Gr kolophōn
Examples of 'excel' in a sentence
excel
Long-term partners excel in a game show.
The Sun (2017)
He would always excel and go beyond the obvious when we were taught anything.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He always excelled at staying close to the men under his command.
Diane Purkiss The English Civil War: A People's History (2006)
And he was brilliant again yesterday at a track where he always excels.
The Sun (2012)
As with most modern games this is where the game excels.
The Sun (2009)
He also excelled as a rugby player.
Christianity Today (2000)
So perhaps that abandonment not only led her to her career but also helped her excel in it?
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Still, good to know she excels at something.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
He was a brilliant fielder and all-round athlete who also excelled at rugby.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I want to excel at this game.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
There are many sporting opportunities for people with disabilities to not only find joy in, but also excel in.
The Sun (2011)
In this country we have not always excelled in colour printing, but in this and other respects the volume is a masterpiece.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
A powerful person, he excelled at games.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
For years, she excelled in something she didn't particularly enjoy.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Anybody who has excelled at something has a positive attitude, and you don't give up.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
One of the sports at which I don't excel is table tennis.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
I wasn't the only person in my home town of Reading to have excelled at table tennis.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
EVEN when we were the laughing stock of Europe because of the poor quality of our food, we always excelled at puddings.
The Sun (2013)
Yet it was seldom heavy or pompous, for it excelled also in a richly complex stage imagery, and in entertaining touches of inventive humour and exuberant burlesque.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
A trim, athletic man, in his youth he had excelled at real tennis and was still taking walking holidays well into his eighties.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In other languages
excel
British English: excel VERB
If someone excels in something or excels at it, they are very good at doing it.
He has always been an actor who excels in irony.
American English: excel
Brazilian Portuguese: sobressair
Chinese: 擅长在某方面
European Spanish: sobresalir
French: exceller
German: sich hervortun
Italian: eccellere
Japanese: 抜きんでる
Korean: 뛰어나다
European Portuguese: sobressair
Latin American Spanish: sobresalir
Chinese translation of 'excel'
excel
(ɪkˈsɛl)
vi
to excel (in/at)[sports, business etc]擅长(長) (shàncháng)
vt
to excel o.s.出类(類)拔萃 (chū lèi bá cuì)
(verb)
Definition
to be better than
Few dancers have excelled her in virtuosity.
Synonyms
be superior
better
He bettered the old record of 4 minutes 24.
pass
They were the first company in their field to pass the £2 billion turnover mark.
eclipse
The gramophone was eclipsed by the compact disc.
beat
She was as eager as her captain to beat the record.
top
How are you ever going to top that?
cap (informal)
He always has to cap everyone else's achievements.
exceed
His performance exceeded all expectations.
go beyond
surpass
He was determined to surpass the achievements of his older brothers.
transcend
issues like EU membership that transcend party loyalty
outdo
Both sides have tried to outdo each other.
outshine
He outshone all the other contestants.
surmount
I realised I had to surmount the language barrier.
run rings around (informal)
put in the shade (informal)
outrival
phrasal verb
See excel in or at something
Additional synonyms
in the sense of beat
Definition
to arrive, achieve, or finish before (someone or something)
She was as eager as her captain to beat the record.
Synonyms
exceed,
best,
top,
cap (informal),
eclipse,
surpass,
transcend,
outdo,
go one better than (informal),
put in the shade
in the sense of better
He bettered the old record of 4 minutes 24.
Synonyms
beat,
top,
exceed,
excel,
surpass,
outstrip,
outdo,
trump,
improve on or upon,
cap (informal)
in the sense of cap
Definition
to outdo or excel
He always has to cap everyone else's achievements.