Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for surfeit. Search instead for surfeits.
Synonyms

surfeit

American  
[sur-fit] / ˈsɜr fɪt /

noun

  1. excess; an excessive amount.

    a surfeit of speechmaking.
    Synonyms:
    superfluity, superabundance
    Antonyms:
    lack

  2. excess or overindulgence in eating or drinking.

  3. an uncomfortably full or crapulous feeling due to excessive eating or drinking.

  4. general disgust caused by excess or satiety.

verb (used with object)

  1. to bring to a state of surfeit by excess of food or drink.

    Synonyms:
    gorge, stuff

  2. to supply with anything to excess or satiety; satiate.

    Synonyms:
    fill, gorge, stuff

verb (used without object)

  1. to eat or drink to excess.

  2. to suffer from the effects of overindulgence in eating or drinking.

  3. to indulge to excess in anything.

surfeit British  
/ ˈsɜːfɪt /

noun

  1. (usually foll by of) an excessive or immoderate amount

  2. overindulgence, esp in eating or drinking

  3. disgust, nausea, etc, caused by such overindulgence

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to supply or feed excessively; satiate

  2. archaic (intr) to eat, drink, or be supplied to excess

  3. obsolete (intr) to feel uncomfortable as a consequence of overindulgence

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • surfeiter noun
  • unsurfeited adjective
  • unsurfeiting adjective

Etymology

Origin of surfeit

1250–1300; (noun) Middle English sorfete, surfait < Middle French surfait, surfet (noun use of past participle of surfaire to overdo), equivalent to sur- sur- 1 + fait < Latin factus, past participle of facere to do ( fact ); (v.) sorfeten, derivative of the noun

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But this spring holds a surfeit of Scripture-inspired scripted alternatives.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026

Any study of wars, poverty and other manmade crises shows us that humanity still suffers from a lack of empathy, not a surfeit.

From Salon • Dec. 1, 2025

Producers resorted to filling ocean tankers with the sudden surfeit, and it took about a year for prices to climb back.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

In fact, the reviewer found Whale "the liveliest natural new personality to turn up on TV for ages", saying he possessed "a surfeit of punch and charisma".

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2025

“I didn’t mean that,” said Harry, whose brain felt sluggish with exhaustion and from the surfeit of food and wine.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.