excess

1.adjectiveB1

Definition

describes something that exists in an amount larger than what is normal, necessary, or wanted — for example, charging for an extra suitcase or having body weight that is not healthy.

Example

The airline charged Ingrid £55 for her excess luggage at the airport counter.

collocation: excess luggage / excess baggage

After the wedding, Shirin packed the excess food into boxes for guests to take home.

Common collocations

excess baggage
excess luggage
excess weight
excess fat
excess inventory
excess capacity
excess supply
excess demand

Synonyms

surplus
more neutral and often used for goods, money, or supply; 'surplus food' vs 'excess food' (which has a slightly wasteful tone)
extra
simpler and more common in everyday speech; 'extra money' does not carry the same negative sense as 'excess money'

Antonyms

insufficient
not enough to meet a need, the opposite of having too much
inadequate
less than what is required or desired

Grammar Patterns

excess + noun

Usage Note

Used only before a noun (attributive position). You cannot say 'The luggage is excess' — instead say 'The luggage is in excess' or 'There is excess luggage.'

Common Mistakes

The water that spilled was excess.

The spilled water was excess water.

as an adjective, 'excess' must come directly before the noun it describes.

1.nounB1

Definition

a quantity of something that is greater than what people consider normal, acceptable, or permitted — often used when warning about the negative effects of having too much of something.

Example

An excess of salt in your diet can cause high blood pressure over time.

pattern: an excess of + noun

The company produced an excess of cars that nobody wanted to buy.

Common collocations

an excess of
in excess of
excess demand
excess supply
excess profits

Synonyms

surplus
more neutral and often positive; a 'budget surplus' is good, but 'an excess of salt' is negative
glut
implies an oversupply in a market, often with negative commercial effects
surfeit
formal and literary; emphasizes the unpleasant results of having too much of something

Antonyms

shortage
a situation where there is not enough of something
deficit
the amount by which something is less than what is needed

Grammar Patterns

an/the excess of + noun

in excess of + quantity

Usage Note

The fixed phrase 'in excess of' is formal and is used before numbers or quantities to mean 'more than.' It is common in financial, legal, and academic writing.

Common Mistakes

I ate an excess of candy and felt sick.' (awkward with 'excess' as a direct object)

I ate too much candy and felt sick.

'excess' as a noun is more natural in formal contexts or when paired with 'an excess of.'

2.nounB2

Definition

conduct in which a person overindulges in pleasurable activities — such as heavy drinking, eating, or spending — to the point of harming their health, finances, or relationships.

Example

Heloísa's friends worried about her excess in drinking at every party they attended.

pattern: excess in + gerund/noun

The documentary shows how a life of excess ruined the careers of several famous musicians.

Common collocations

to excess
excess in
life of excess
years of excess
the excesses of
drink/eat to excess
excess in drinking
excess in spending

Synonyms

overindulgence
more specific to consumption of food, drink, or pleasure; 'excess' is broader
extravagance
focuses on wasteful spending rather than general overdoing of an activity
intemperance
formal and moralistic; suggests a lack of self-control in drinking or eating

Antonyms

moderation
the practice of keeping within reasonable limits
restraint
the quality of controlling one's own behaviour

Grammar Patterns

excess in + noun/gerund

to excess

Usage Note

This sense is often used in the plural form 'excesses' to refer to specific acts of extreme behaviour, as in 'the excesses of the aristocracy.' It appears frequently in formal writing, historical texts, and literary criticism.

Common Mistakes

He ate excess at the buffet.' (wrong part of speech)

He ate to excess at the buffet.

when modifying a verb of consumption, use the fixed phrase 'to excess' rather than 'excess' as a direct object.

3.nounB2

Definition

the fixed amount of money that a person must contribute when making an insurance claim, before the insurance company covers the remaining cost of the loss or damage.

Example

Lakan had to pay a £300 excess before the insurance company repaired his car.

pattern: pay + [amount] + excess

When choosing home insurance, a higher excess usually means a lower monthly premium.

Common collocations

pay an excess
voluntary excess
compulsory excess
policy excess
excess on a car/home/travel policy
waive the excess

Synonyms

deductible
the American English equivalent; identical in meaning but used in different regions

Grammar Patterns

pay an excess

excess on + policy

Usage Note

This sense is primarily British English. In American English, the same concept is called a 'deductible.' The term 'excess' is standard in UK, Australian, and New Zealand insurance policies.

Common Mistakes

I paid the excess to my doctor.' (wrong context)

I paid the excess to my insurance company.

'excess' in this sense refers specifically to an insurance claim, not any out-of-pocket medical payment.

Idioms

to excess

idiom

doing something too much, especially eating, drinking, or spending, in a way that is not healthy or acceptable.

The doctor warned Mateo that drinking alcohol to excess could damage his liver over time.

Word family

excessive
adjectiveB1
excessively
adverbB2
exceed
verbB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe having more than needed, but they differ in tone and context. 'Surplus' is the most neutral and often positive — a 'budget surplus' is good news, while 'excess' almost always carries a warning that something is too much. 'Glut' is specific to markets and supply, describing a situation where too many goods are available and prices drop, such as an 'oil glut.' 'Surfeit' is the most formal and literary, appearing in phrases like 'a surfeit of riches' to emphasize the unpleasant results of having too much. In everyday use, 'excess' is the broadest choice: 'An excess of sugar harms your teeth' sounds natural, whereas 'a surplus of sugar' would sound odd in that warning context.

surplus ↗glutsurfeit

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

grossly
far
well (in excess of)

Phrases

in excess of
to excess
an/the excess of

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Excess entered English in the 14th century from Old French 'exces,' which came from Latin 'excessus' — meaning 'a going out, a departure, a surpassing.' The Latin word was formed from 'excedere' (ex- 'out' + cedere 'to go'). Its earliest English sense was 'a deviation from proper conduct,' which later evolved into the modern meanings of having more than is needed and behaving without restraint.

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excess

excess — adjective

1. describes something that exists in an amount larger than what is normal, necessa

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

excess — noun

1. a quantity of something that is greater than what people consider normal, accept

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. conduct in which a person overindulges in pleasurable activities — such as heavy

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

3. the fixed amount of money that a person must contribute when making an insurance

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

to excess

excess — verb

1. when a company removes a person from their job by eliminating that position enti

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

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