surplus

1 of 2

noun

sur·​plus ˈsər-(ˌ)pləs How to pronounce surplus (audio)
1
a
: the amount that remains when use or need is satisfied
b
: an excess of receipts over disbursements
2
: the excess of a corporation's net worth over the par or stated value of its stock

surplus

2 of 2

adjective

: more than the amount that is needed : constituting a surplus
surplus food/clothing/equipment
When the sea captains returned, they would sell their surplus wares on the wharves.Carol Vogel
Long before the comparable worth battles of today, the economic value of women's work was evident to farm women who set prices for the surplus butter, candles, soap, honey, preserves, chickens, and eggs they raised or manufactured.Mary Kay Blakely

Examples of surplus in a Sentence

Noun If there is any surplus, it will be divided equally. There is a surplus of workers and not enough jobs.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
As settlements grew and work became more specialized, the resulting social structure enabled an elite minority — chiefs, warriors, priests and their families — to live off the surplus created by others. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024 Wisconsin is projected to end the 2023-25 budget with a $4 billion surplus and $2 billion in its rainy day fund. Jessie Opoien, Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024 The surplus is due in part to vacancy savings, plus maneuvers the city made to finance capital costs with bonds instead of operating revenue. Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024 Thanks to West, Paramount ended the year with a $6,000,000 surplus. Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 Indeed, Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky could turn the surplus of live music into a draw, said Frank Hulefeld, the programming director for the Madison Theater and Madison Live venues in Covington. Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 28 Feb. 2024 Economics 101 teaches that deficits should be run in Recessions, with surpluses when the economy is strong. Robert Barone, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 With no surplus of starlight to support it, the star’s outer layers fall inward to the core and then rebound to explode outward, sending shockwaves rippling through the surrounding material. Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024 That surplus might suggest Trump can comfortably pay. Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2024
Adjective
The San Diego County Water Authority just entered into negotiations to sell some of its surplus water to the Moulton Niguel Water District in Orange County, which would pay for supplies produced by the desalination plant in Carlsbad. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024 Ultimately, none of the surplus money went to school districts. Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2024 Paint them a color that contrasts your bathroom walls for standout style, then fill them with surplus toilet paper or hand towels. Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2024 Some, like me, also make surplus orders to cover all the folks who didn't realize Girl Scout cookie season was coming. Bill Chappell, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024 The state auditors, though, said Visit Anaheim could not demonstrate how much of that money came from surplus tourism public money. Michael Slaten, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 For retail, barcode scanners and inventory management software can prevent unnecessary hoarding of surplus stock and warehousing costs. Melissa Houston, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 The production used funds from entrepreneur Mike Field’s sale of surplus tax credits, reports Variety. Daniel S. Levine, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024 Field funded the film with proceeds from his sale of surplus tax credits, according to the report. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'surplus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin superplus, from Latin super- + plus more — more at plus

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1589, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of surplus was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near surplus

Cite this Entry

“Surplus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surplus. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

surplus

noun
sur·​plus ˈsər-(ˌ)pləs How to pronounce surplus (audio)
1
: the amount more than what is required or necessary : excess
2
: an excess of income over spending
surplus adjective

Legal Definition

surplus

noun
sur·​plus ˈsər-ˌpləs How to pronounce surplus (audio)
1
a
: an amount that remains when a use or need is satisfied
b
: an excess of receipts over disbursements
c
: the value of assets after subtracting liabilities
2
: an excess of the net worth of a corporation over the par value of its capital stock compare undivided profits
capital surplus
: all surplus other than earned surplus
earned surplus
: the surplus that remains after deducting losses, distributions to stockholders, and transfers to capital stock accounts
paid-in surplus
: surplus resulting from the sale of stock at amounts above par

More from Merriam-Webster on surplus

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