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Surpass vs Outshine - What's the difference?

surpass | outshine |

As verbs the difference between surpass and outshine

is that surpass is to go beyond, especially in a metaphoric or technical manner; to exceed while outshine is to shine brighter than something else.

surpass

English

Verb

(es)
  • To go beyond, especially in a metaphoric or technical manner; to exceed.
  • The former problem student surpassed his instructor's expectations and scored top marks on his examination.
    The heavy rains threatened to surpass the capabilities of the levee, endangering the town on the other side.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1905, author=
  • , title= , chapter=2 citation , passage=“Two or three months more went by?; the public were eagerly awaiting the arrival of this semi-exotic claimant to an English peerage, and sensations, surpassing those of the Tichbourne case, were looked forward to with palpitating interest. […]”}}

    See also

    * exceed * excel * outdo * outstrip

    outshine

    English

    Verb

  • to shine brighter than something else
  • to exceed something or someone else, especially in an obvious or flamboyant manner
  • *{{quote-news
  • , year=2012 , date=December 29 , author=Paul Doyle , title=Arsenal's Theo Walcott hits hat-trick in thrilling victory over Newcastle , work=The Guardian citation , page= , passage=Four minutes later Walcott, who until then had been redundant as a lone striker owing to one-star service, was given his first decent pass of the game and duly took his chance to outshine the Senegalese, springing a poorly conceived offside trap to collect Lukas Podolski's ball and stroke a low 15-yard shot past Tim Krul and into the far corner. }}
  • To shine forth.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Bright, outshining beams.