What does "excel" mean?

1. (to do better than others) to do something better than another person or group. 2. (spreadsheet software) a popular computer program used for making tables, charts, and doing math with data.

excel

v. · n.

US //ɪkˈsɛɫ// UK //ɛksˈɛl// ex·cel

1 to do better than others (v.)
C1 Advanced Formal

to do something better than another person or group.

to surpass or outdo others in achievement or quality. Transitive use is less common in modern speech than the intransitive form.

Example

The young athlete hoped to excel her previous record in the long jump.

Example

The company continues to excel its competitors in terms of both innovative design and sustainable manufacturing practices.
- exceed
- outperform
- lose
2 spreadsheet software (n.)
B1 Intermediate Computing

a popular computer program used for making tables, charts, and doing math with data.

a proprietary spreadsheet application developed by Microsoft, widely used for data analysis and financial modelling.

Example

I spent the whole afternoon entering sales figures into an Excel sheet.

Example

Proficiency in Excel is a prerequisite for the junior analyst position, as the role involves complex data manipulation and pivot tables.
- spreadsheet

Origin

From Middle English excellen, from Old French exceller, from Latin excellere, excelsum; ex (“out”) + *cellō, an unattested verb root found in culmen (“height, top”); Compare French exceller. See also culminate, column.