# excel

/ɪkˈsɛɫ/ (US) · /ɛksˈɛl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/excel
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 2. to do better than others

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to do something better than another person or group.

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

- The young athlete hoped to excel her previous record in the long jump.
- The company continues to excel its competitors in terms of both innovative design and sustainable manufacturing practices.

### 3. spreadsheet software

noun · CEFR B1

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

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

- I spent the whole afternoon entering sales figures into an Excel sheet.
- Proficiency in Excel is a prerequisite for the junior analyst position, as the role involves complex data manipulation and pivot tables.

## Examples

- She always managed to excel in her science classes.
- The company continues to excel at providing customer support even during peak holiday seasons.
- While many students struggle with abstract mathematics, some naturally excel by identifying underlying patterns that others overlook during the initial stages of instruction.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.