From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsurplussur‧plus1 /ˈsɜːpləs $ ˈsɜːr-/ ●○○ noun [countable, uncountable] 1 TOO/TOO MUCHan amount of something that is more than what is needed or used SYN excess Any surplus can be trimmed away.surplus of a surplus of crude oil2 PEPROFITthe amount of money that a country or company has left after it has paid for all the things it needs a huge budget surplus of over £16 billion → trade surplus
Examples from the Corpus
surplus• For the first time in 20 years Congress was working with a budget surplus.• a budget surplus• The budget surplus could be used to hire and train more border guards.• The December surplus was the first monthly trade gain in 1995, the ministry said in a preliminary report.• Government subsidies have resulted in huge grain surpluses.• Our surplus on book publishing last year was $47 million.• Plant closings, department mergers, and restricted budgets often provide an organization with a temporary surplus of cash and other resources.• The Gulf States produce more oil than they need and sell the surplus to the rest of the world.• The surplus will go towards replacing their club van that was used to transport boxers to events and beach training at Redcar.• This surplus will cause a competitive bidding down of price by sellers eager to relieve themselves of their surplus.• The existence of monopoly denies them that opportunity, and this is manifest in the inevitable reduction in total surplus.• Today there is a worrisome surplus of 1 million empty apartments in the East, particularly in the cities.surplus of• There is a slight surplus of oil worldwide.budget surplus• A budget surplus of EC$12,300,000 was predicted on the current account.• The result has been a burgeoning budget surplus.• The government is running a large budget surplus and expects to carry on doing so.• Interest rates can be cut and Bill Clinton's budget surplus spent.• Bush spent the campaign pretending that this was an election about the budget surplus, or social security or the military.• The budget surplus of A$8,107 million was the fourth consecutive surplus, and would be used to reduce overseas debt. surplussurplus2 ●○○ adjective 1 TOO/TOO MUCHmore than what is needed or used Ethiopia has no surplus food.surplus cash/funds/revenues Surplus cash can be invested.2 → be surplus to requirementsExamples from the Corpus
surplus• Anne bought a surplus Army Jeep.• Arra said Corrections has frozen all purchases of surplus equipment until a review is completed.• surplus grain• The State raised $130 million by selling off surplus land.• This will continue for as long as the surplus nutrients remain in the water, which may be months.• It was very pale and had no expression, as though expressions were surplus to requirements.• Although Karl Marx's formulation of the theory of surplus value was more sophisticated, his debt to Hodgskin is unmistakable.• And the only sensible place to use the surplus water was in the San Fernando Valley.surplus cash/funds/revenues• Gradually coffee came to replace maize as the main agricultural produce of the community and foodstuffs were bought with surplus cash.• If the business is a goer, the entrepreneur moves on to the full Enterprise Allowance system and gets back any surplus funds.• Essentially those institutions with surplus funds lend to those with insufficient funds to meet their requirements.• Financing decisions Fixed asset investment can be funded from several sources: equity, surplus cash, loans or leasing.• Prudential alone has surplus funds of an estimated £8 billion.• It would suit them better to use their surplus cash to aid starving children in other countries.• When the crisis is over, any surplus funds will be donated to the Gulf Trust.• After the principal had been repaid, through the balance sheet, surplus funds would be recorded as increases in capital.From Longman Business Dictionarysurplussur‧plus1 /ˈsɜːpləsˈsɜːr-/ noun1[countable, uncountable]ECONOMICS an amount of something that is more than what is wanted, needed, or usedSugar prices fell after revised estimates of the surplus for the current crop year.surplus ofThere is a current housing surplus of approximately 500,000 properties.2[countable, uncountable]FINANCE in MUTUALs (=insurance companies etc that do not have shareholders) the profit for a particular period of time, or from several periods of time, that has not been paid out to membersThe life insurance company had capital and surplus totaling $459.2 million.3[countable]FINANCE in insurance companies and PENSION FUNDs, the amount by which the money held is more than they have to pay out in claims or pensionsThe steelworks pensioners joined the fight to get a share of a £300 million British Steel pension surplus.4[countable] (also balance of payments surplus or, external surplus)ECONOMICS the amount by which the money coming into a country is more than the money going out in a particular period of timeA country that has a balance of payments surplus may receive payment from the debtor’s foreign exchange reserves. → trade surplussurplussurplus2 adjective more than is needed or wantedMany businesses relocated, surplus space having become available because of the recession.Those employees will become surplus, and costly to retain.Origin surplus1 (1300-1400) Old French Medieval Latin superplus, from Latin plus “more” 