surplus C1 Topic:Economics & Markets US /ˈsɝˌplʌs/ UK /ˈsɜːpləs/ See IPA manual Freq #16389 Meanings 1 noun An amount that is more than what is needed or used. We have a surplus of cheese after the party. 2 adj More than is needed or required. The farm sold its surplus crops at the market. 3 noun The amount by which income or assets exceed spending or debts. The government reported a budget surplus this year. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · an amount that is more than... excessabundance 2 adj · more than is needed or... extraexcess Word family Forms surpluses Appears in Phrases (1) See all trade surplus the amount by which a country's exports exceed its imports Noun + noun Etymology AI details From Middle English surplus, from Middle French surplus. Compare French surplus. *pleh₁- Proto-Indo-European surplus Middle English View etymology graph -> Topics Economics & Markets General Vocabulary External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # surplus **Type:** Word **Level:** C1 **Part of speech:** noun, adj **IPA (US):** /ˈsɝˌplʌs/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈsɜːpləs/ **Frequency rank:** 16389 ## Meanings 1. An amount that is more than what is needed or used. 2. More than is needed or required. 3. The amount by which income or assets exceed spending or debts. ## Examples - We have a surplus of cheese after the party. - The farm sold its surplus crops at the market. - The government reported a budget surplus this year. ## Roots and Affixes - Root: *pleh₁- - Root: surplus ## Etymology From Middle English surplus, from Middle French surplus. Compare French surplus. ## AI Etymology Surplus comes from Middle English surplus, from Middle French surplus. Compare French surplus. The historical chain includes *pleh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), surplus (Middle English), and surplus (Middle French). In present use it covers an amount that is more than what is needed or used, more than is needed or required, and the amount by which income or assets exceed spending or debts. ## Topics - Economics & Markets - General Vocabulary markdown