Words / C1

SURPL-uh-s/ˈsɜːpləs/

A surplus is an amount left over when need has been met: a budget surplus, a surplus of stock. Extra and leftover are everyday; a deficit is the opposite; excess can sound wasteful. Surplus to requirements means not needed. Do not count posters as invigilators.

Meaning

An amount left over when need or requirement has been met.

Examples

• “A surplus of posters is not a surplus of invigilators.”
• “Extra is everyday. Leftover is informal. Deficit is the hole. Profit is not the same (revenue minus cost). Stationery is not cover. Count people on the rota, not reams in the cupboard.”

Good to know

Amount left over. Everyday: extra. Opposite: deficit. Posters ≠ people on a rota.

Near in meaning

excess

New