ex·cess
(ĭk-sĕś, ĕḱsĕś)
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin excessus past participle of excēdere, to exceed; see exceed.]
noun
- The state of exceeding what is normal or sufficient: rains that filled the reservoirs to excess.
- An amount or quantity beyond what is normal or sufficient; a surplus.
- The amount or degree by which one quantity exceeds another: Profit is the excess of sales over costs.
- Intemperance; overindulgence: drank to excess.
- A behavior or an action that exceeds proper or lawful bounds: tried to avoid engaging in emotional excesses such as hysteria and fits of temper.
adjective
- Being more than is usual, required, or permitted: skimming off the excess fat. See synonyms at superfluous
transitive verb: -cessed, -cess·ing, -cess·es.
- To eliminate the job or position of.
idioms
- in excess of
- Greater than; more than: unit sales in excess of 20 million.
