surmount

American  

[ser-mount] / sərˈmaʊnt /

verb (used with object)

1. to mount upon; get on the top of; mount upon and cross over.

   to surmount a hill.

2. to get over or across (barriers, obstacles, etc.).

3. to prevail over.

   to surmount tremendous difficulties.

4. to be on top of or above.

   a statue surmounting a pillar.

5. to furnish with something placed on top or above.

   to surmount a tower with a spire.

6. Obsolete.

   1. to surpass in excellence.

   2. to exceed in amount.

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surmount British  

/ sɜːˈmaʊnt /

verb

1. to prevail over; overcome

   to surmount tremendous difficulties

2. to ascend and cross to the opposite side of

3. to lie on top of or rise above

4. to put something on top of or above

5. obsolete to surpass or exceed

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Other Word Forms

• surmountable adjective
• surmountableness noun
• surmounter noun
• unsurmounted adjective

Etymology

Origin of surmount

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Anglo-French sormonter, surmounter, Old French sor(e)monter, s(o)urmonter; sur- ¹, mount ¹

Example Sentences

Sometimes, even the best-laid plans can’t surmount a brick wall.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

Treasury yields rose as inflation fears continued to surmount growth worries—even after a disappointing U.S. jobs print Friday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

Elwood is convinced he can surmount obstacles; Turner is resigned to going around them.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 20, 2024

To surmount this limit algorithmically, data scientists reconstruct higher-resolution images by eliminating both blurring and noise from recorded, limited-resolution images.

From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 2024

Unable to surmount these obstacles, most will eventually return to prison and then be released again, caught in a closed circuit of perpetual marginality.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• conquer