surmount
verb
sur·mount
sər-ˈmau̇nt 
surmounted; surmounting; surmounts
1
: to prevail over : overcome
surmount an obstacle
2
: to get to the top of : climb
3
: to stand or lie at the top of
4
obsolete
: to surpass in quality or attainment : excel
Did you know?
Our verb mount, meaning "ascend, get up onto", comes from the same Latin root as mountain, and we keep those images in mind when using surmount, since climbing up or over a mountain is a symbol of achievement. The word almost always refers to human effort, and almost always in a positive way; thus, we speak of surmounting difficulties, surmounting problems, surmounting hurdles, surmounting handicaps—you get the idea.
Examples of surmount in a Sentence
an Olympic swimmer who surmounted endless obstacles to achieve her goals
Recent Examples on the Web
To surmount this problem, very specific protocols based on strict criteria are required to recognize an early supernova.
—
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 19 Aug. 2025
The problems to surmount were structural: deindustrialization, entrenched segregation, economic marginalization—conditions shaped by Jim Crow, but not undone by its eclipse.
—Idrees Kahloon, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
An unlikely relationship begins — one that has to surmount a language barrier: The women communicate haltingly in English, French and Cantonese.
—George Gene Gustines, New York Times, 1 June 2025
This is probably because the mechanics of upending American democracy would entail surmounting a thick tangle of constitutional, bureaucratic, legal and political obstacles.
—Victor Menaldo, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surmount
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Keith Cooper, Space.com, 19 Aug. 2025
The problems to surmount were structural: deindustrialization, entrenched segregation, economic marginalization—conditions shaped by Jim Crow, but not undone by its eclipse.
—Idrees Kahloon, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
An unlikely relationship begins — one that has to surmount a language barrier: The women communicate haltingly in English, French and Cantonese.
—George Gene Gustines, New York Times, 1 June 2025
This is probably because the mechanics of upending American democracy would entail surmounting a thick tangle of constitutional, bureaucratic, legal and political obstacles.
—Victor Menaldo, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surmount
Cite this Entry
“Surmount.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surmount. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
surmount
verb
sur·mount
sər-ˈmau̇nt
1
: overcome sense 1
surmount an obstacle
2
: to get to the top of : climb
3
: to stand or lie at the top of : crown
a weather vane surmounts the roof
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