surplus
Americannoun
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something that remains above what is used or needed.
- Synonyms:
- superabundance
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an amount, quantity, etc., greater than needed.
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agricultural produce or a quantity of food grown by a nation or area in excess of its needs, especially such a quantity of food purchased and stored by a governmental program of guaranteeing farmers a specific price for certain crops.
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Accounting.
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the excess of assets over liabilities accumulated throughout the existence of a business, excepting assets against which stock certificates have been issued; excess of net worth over capital-stock value.
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an amount of assets in excess of what is requisite to meet liabilities.
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adjective
verb (used with object)
noun
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a quantity or amount in excess of what is required
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accounting
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an excess of total assets over total liabilities
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an excess of actual net assets over the nominal value of capital stock
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an excess of revenues over expenditures during a certain period of time
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economics
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an excess of government revenues over expenditures during a certain financial year
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an excess of receipts over payments on the balance of payments
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adjective
Related Words
See remainder.
Etymology
Origin of surplus
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Old French surplus, s(o)urplus, from Medieval Latin superplūs, equivalent to super- preposition and prefix + plūs neuter noun; super-, plus
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The group had been raising their production quotas for most of last year, but paused those increases for the first quarter of 2026 on the heels of expectations for a global oil supply surplus.
From MarketWatch
Much of the anticipated surplus remains outside major pricing hubs, with Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan barrels accumulating on tankers at sea.
The food for the larder is donated by the charity FareShare, which redistributes surplus food and diverts it away from landfill.
From BBC
In 2025-26, government revenues were lifted by a "buoyant equity market" and accelerated growth, which led to a consolidated surplus of US$371 million instead of a predicted deficit, according to Chan.
From Barron's
While the U.S. current account is in deficit, the capital account runs a large surplus, effectively balancing it out.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
