English Dictionary
Definition of “surplus”
surplus (ˈsɜːpləs
)
Definitions
noun
- a quantity or amount in excess of what is required
- accounting
- an excess of total assets over total liabilities
- an excess of actual net assets over the nominal value of capital stock
- an excess of revenues over expenditures during a certain period of time
- economics
- an excess of government revenues over expenditures during a certain financial year
- an excess of receipts over payments on the balance of payments
adjective
- being in excess; extra
Word Origin
C14: from Old French, from Medieval Latin superplūs, from Latin super- + plūs more
Translations
- British English:
surplus
Surplus is used to describe something that is extra or that is more than is needed.Few people have large sums of surplus cash.ˈsɜːpləs NOUN Few people have large sums of surplus cash.
- Spanish:
sobrante
adj
- French:
supplémentaire
adj
- German:
überschüssig
adj
- Chinese: 多余的 adj
- Arabic: فَائِض adj
- Portuguese: excedente adj
- Russian: избыточный adj избыточная
- Croatian: suvišan adj suvišna
- Czech: přebytečný adj
- Danish: overskydende adj
- Dutch: overtollig adj
- Finnish: ylimääräinen adj
- Greek: περίσσιος adj περίσσια
- Italian: eccedente adj
- Japanese: 余分な no_posp
- Korean: 나머지의 adj
- Norwegian: overskytende adj
- Polish: w nadmiarze adj
- Brazilian Portuguese: excedente adj
- European Spanish:
sobrante
adj
- Swedish: överskotts- adj
- Thai: เป็นส่วนเกิน adj
- Turkish: fazla adj
- Vietnamese: thừa adj
- British English:
surplus
If there is a surplus of something, there is more than is needed.The country suffers from a surplus of teachers.ˈsɜːpləs NOUN The country suffers from a surplus of teachers.
- Spanish:
excedente
nm
- French:
surplus
nm
- German:
Überschuss
nm Überschüsse
- Chinese: 剩余 n
- Arabic: فَضْل n
- Portuguese: excedente nm
- Russian: излишек nm
- Croatian: višak nm
- Czech: přebytek nm
- Danish: overskud nnt
- Dutch: surplus nnt
- Finnish: ylijäämä n
- Greek: περίσσευμα nnt
- Italian: eccedenza nf
- Japanese: 余り n
- Korean: 나머지 n
- Norwegian: overskudd nnt
- Polish: nadmiar nm
- Brazilian Portuguese: excedente nm
- European Spanish:
excedente
nm
- Swedish: överskott nnt
- Thai: จำนวนที่เกิน n
- Turkish: fazlalık n
- Vietnamese: lượng dư n
Usage examples
For all we know, somebody's marketing a mild dose for hay-fever sufferers, or vets are using it to decrease the surplus canine population.
Forbes, Bryan, The Endless Game (1986)So they wondered whether a constant surplus of beta-catenin might stimulate growth of new follicles in adults.
New Scientist (1998)Remember, there was a surplus of 4.5 per cent of GDP just two years ago.
Irish Times (2002)Terry Deegan, national secretary of the CMA, said:'We are not opposed to the idea of surplus staff being identified.
Glasgow Herald (2001)By the summer there was the very real prospect of a substantial deficit after three years of surplus.
Susie Gilbert and Jay Shir, A TALE OF FOUR HOUSES: Opera at Covent Garden, La Scala, Vienna and the Met since 1945 (2003)
