How to Use excess in a Sentence

excess

1 of 2 noun
Definition of excessnext
Synonyms for excessnext
  • He lived a life of excess.
  • The tests found an excess of sodium in his blood.
  • They were equipped with an excess of provisions.
  • He apologized for his past excesses.
  • The movie embraces all the worst excesses of popular American culture.
  • Fold the excess under and crimp the edges of the dough around the rim.
    — Rick Nelson, chicagotribune.com, 27 Nov. 2019
  • The next morning, wipe off the excess and buff the oils out.
    — Sara Rodrigues, House Beautiful, 28 Dec. 2020
  • Then move them out of the water so the excess drains away.
    — Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2023
  • In the cheap and easy mob era there are few checks on excess.
    — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, 19 Apr. 2018
  • Trim the excess with your knife along the edge to get a seamless line.
    — Bryce Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Shake off the excess and lower the crab into the hot oil.
    — Sally Pasley Vargas, BostonGlobe.com, 18 June 2018
  • The goal is to spend time with people, not drink to excess.
    — Kristine M. Kierzek, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 25 May 2022
  • What to do with the excess seems clear: sell it to whomever wants to buy it.
    — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, 19 Mar. 2019
  • But the amount that was found in each horse was in excess of state limits.
    — John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2021
  • Make sure the excess is on the same side for every section.
    — Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Nov. 2020
  • Spread the jam in an even layer, and scrape off any excess.
    — Nancy Stohs, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 29 Nov. 2019
  • The show explores the tension in a certain kind of excess.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2023
  • Swirl the brush head around to pick up powder and gently tap off the excess.
    — Theresa Holland, Peoplemag, 12 Oct. 2023
  • Allow the cream to soak in overnight, then wipe off the excess with a cotton cloth.
    — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, 26 Dec. 2020
  • The tin must be wiped around with your free hand, with any excess tipped or wiped off.
    — Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2020
  • Hot-glue the felt band around the hat base, slightly over the top of the nose; trim any excess in the back.
    — Samantha Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Nov. 2022
  • Drain it and rinse with cold water, squeezing any of the excess out.
    — Alysha Witwicki, Journal Sentinel, 28 June 2022
  • Reinstall the hinge pins and wipe away any oily excess with a damp cloth.
    — Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Aug. 2022
  • After a minute or two, wipe off any excess with a dry cloth.
    — Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 11 Nov. 2022
  • Piece by piece, dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
    — USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2023
  • Those very same lawns are now studies in baroque excess.
    — Jessica Geltstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2022
  • But the urge to make one’s self-awareness known seemed driven to excess by the events of this year.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2020
  • Let the oil soak into the wood and steel before wiping off excess.
    — Ricard Romanski, Popular Mechanics, 8 Feb. 2020
  • Trim or tuck any excess under, then crimp edges to seal.
    — Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 18 Nov. 2023
  • All of that excess makes Neptune a stormy, windy place.
    — Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 7 June 2022
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excess

2 of 2 adjective
  • She is trying to eliminate excess fat and calories from her diet.
  • Basketball provided an outlet for their excess energy.
  • Then lift your onion bulbs out of the ground and brush off the excess dirt.
    — Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Apr. 2023
  • Take one steak out of the marinade and let the excess drip off.
    — Chuck Blount, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Feb. 2021
  • Just close it and point the end to the ground to dump any excess water out.
    — Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2022
  • Hot-glue the braid to the excess crust, covering the twine.
    — Bethany Kunzler, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Oct. 2021
  • Using a paring knife, trim the excess dough at the edge of the pan.
    — Sam Dangremond, Town & Country, 12 Oct. 2013
  • Drain the water and wring out excess liquid from the items.
    — Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 May 2020
  • On the surface, this is a story about a lot of excess dairy.
    — Tara Golshan, Vox, 4 July 2018
  • The world was already awash in excess steel and aluminum.
    — Bob Tita, WSJ, 8 Mar. 2020
  • Any new buildings have to avoid putting excess weight and stress on it.
    — Roland Li, SFChronicle.com, 6 July 2018
  • The excess energy is also stored in the rocks for months at a time.
    — Ken Silverstein, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2022
  • Share or trade your excess plants or overage of seeds and bulbs.
    — oregonlive, 16 Sep. 2022
  • Gather up the sides in your hands and wring out excess liquid.
    — Ignacio Mattos, Bon Appetit, 23 Apr. 2018
  • Squeeze the spinach of excess moisture, roughly chop and place in a large bowl.
    — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, 23 Feb. 2018
  • Shaking the excess water off gets you ready to use it again.
    — Chris Hachey, BGR, 3 Aug. 2022
  • Squeeze the greens with your hands to remove excess water.
    — Julia Turshen, sacbee, 20 Feb. 2018
  • When unzipped, these two vents at the chest dump excess heat.
    — Adrienne Donica, Popular Mechanics, 29 Dec. 2019
  • Make sure any excess water has been squeezed out of the towel.
    — Taylor Worden, Good Housekeeping, 21 July 2022
  • Remove the onion and bay leaves and drain the excess water if there’s more than ½ cup.
    — NBC News, 17 Nov. 2019
  • Birds have no sweat glands so panting is their way to get rid of excess body heat.
    — Jim Gilbert, Star Tribune, 8 July 2021
  • Trim off any excess fat, slice against the grain and then transfer it to a serving dish.
    — Molly Yeh, sun-sentinel.com, 26 Sep. 2019
  • There’s even a drain spot that can be opened up to tip excess water into the sink.
    — Nicole Briese, USA TODAY, 2 June 2020
  • Once cooked, pour off excess liquid and save for an au jus sauce.
    — Xavier Cousens, WSJ, 4 Sep. 2020
  • Shake off any excess oil and place on paper towels to drain.
    — SI.com, 29 Jan. 2018
  • The holes do not need to be large, but there must be enough holes so excess water can drain out.
    — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2022
  • Rinse the grapes, shaking off excess water, then place in a bowl.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2020
  • Clean up any mold and get rid of excess water or moisture.
    — James Bruggers, The Courier-Journal, 11 Sep. 2017
  • And larger amounts of excess skin can present some health issues.
    — Julia Landwehr, Health, 5 June 2023
  • Drain the meat in a mesh colander (just like pasta, dudes) to get rid of excess grease.
    — Corey Inscoe, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'excess.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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