a quantity much larger than is needed
"The storm left an excess of rain that flooded the entire street."
immoderation as a consequence of going beyond sufficient or permitted limits
"His excess was so evident that he kept talking long after everyone else had fallen asleep at the dinner table."
the state of being more than full
"The old dog groaned and nudged his bowl away, clearly showing signs of excess after such a hearty meal."
The state of surpassing or going beyond a limit; the state of being beyond sufficiency, necessity, or duty; more than what is usual or proper.
"The committee decided to cut funding because the department's spending had reached an excess that threatened their budget for the next fiscal year."
In plain English: Excess is having too much of something beyond what is needed or allowed.
"The excess water from the rain flooded the basement."
Usage: Use "excess" to describe an amount that goes beyond a necessary limit or standard, such as spending in excess of your budget. It functions as a noun to denote the surplus itself rather than the act of exceeding.
To declare (an employee) surplus to requirements, such that he or she might not be given work.
"The manager decided to excess three junior developers after the project scope was significantly reduced."
In plain English: To exceed a limit or go beyond what is allowed.
"The storm caused water to overflow and excess the low-lying fields."
Usage: The verb excess means to officially declare an employee surplus to requirements so they are no longer assigned work. This term is rarely used in modern conversation outside of formal HR contexts regarding workforce reductions.
more than is needed, desired, or required
"trying to lose excess weight"
"found some extra change lying on the dresser"
"yet another book on heraldry might be thought redundant"
"skills made redundant by technological advance"
"sleeping in the spare room"
"supernumerary ornamentation"
"it was supererogatory of her to gloat"
"delete superfluous (or unnecessary) words"
"extra ribs as well as other supernumerary internal parts"
"surplus cheese distributed to the needy"
More than is normal, necessary or specified.
"The teacher asked us to return all excess paper so it could be recycled instead of thrown away in the trash."
In plain English: Excess means having more of something than you actually need or want.
"He had an excess of energy after running the marathon."
Usage: Use "excess" before a noun to describe something that goes beyond normal limits or requirements, such as in "excess heat." It functions as an adjective only when it directly modifies another word rather than standing alone.
The word comes from the Latin excedere, meaning "to go out" or "go beyond," which evolved through Old French into Middle English as exces. Originally describing a state of going outside one's bounds or losing self-possession, it entered modern English with its current sense of an amount that is more than enough.