All words

surmount

Meaning

to succeed in dealing with a difficulty or problem.

Examples by difficulty

Basic: Simple, everyday vocabulary — the easiest to read.

The small team faced a huge task. Everyone felt overwhelmed, but they knew they had to push through. With hard work and by helping each other, they were able to surmount every obstacle, finally finishing the project on time.

The worn leather case felt heavier than usual. She knew the intricate lock was a tough puzzle, a real test of patience. But after hours of fiddling, the satisfying click finally came. She managed to surmount the challenge, her breath catching as the lid sprang open.

The tiny, shimmering larva struggled to push through the tough, papery shell of its egg. It was a daunting task, but with each wriggle and strain, it began to surmount the obstacle. Soon, it would break free into the world.

Barnaby the badger, a fluffy menace, had a colossal sneeze. To surmount this hairy problem, he ate a whole jar of pickle juice. His eyes watered, his nose twitched, but the giant "ACHOO!" was finally stopped. He felt mighty proud.

Barry the badger bravely decided to surmount his fear of mismatched socks. He bravely donned a red polka dot and a green striped one. His tiny heart hammered, but he managed to surmount this sartorial challenge with a wobble and a triumphant squeak.

Normal: Standard, everyday language.

The climber, muscles burning, saw the peak so close. Exhaustion threatened, but the thought of giving up made his stomach clench. He dug his hands into the rock, finding new strength to surmount the last steep section, his breath ragged with triumph.

The tiny sapling, barely a sprout, was pummeled by relentless hail. Its stem bent precariously, threatening to snap. But with a determined push, fueled by its desperate will to reach the sun, it managed to surmount the brutal barrage, its green leaves glistening with defiant resilience.

The old excavator was stuck deep in the clay, its gears groaning with each failed attempt. Sweat beaded on Marco's brow as he studied the schematics, figuring out how to surmount this seemingly impossible mechanical failure and get the foundation laid before the storm hit.

Barnaby, a notoriously clumsy badger, faced his greatest challenge: a single, perfectly placed blueberry. He'd tried nudging, sniffing, and even a dramatic interpretive dance, but it remained unyielding. With a determined sigh, Barnaby knew he had to somehow surmount this tiny, blue obstacle to claim his breakfast prize.

Brenda valiantly attempted to surmount the mountain of rogue lint bunnies threatening to engulf her laundry room. Each fuzzy foe was vanquished with a mighty swipe of her dust mop, her determined grin fueled by the sheer absurdity of the fluffy invasion.

Advanced: Richer vocabulary that stretches an upper-level reader.

The avalanche buried the trail, a daunting obstacle. Exhausted and cold, the climbers gathered. With a shared look of grim determination, they knew they had to surmount this challenge. Their survival depended on pushing through the snow and finding a way to continue.

The seasoned astrophysicist, facing a catastrophic equipment malfunction just hours before a critical deep-space transmission, knew she had to surmount this obstacle. Years of research depended on successfully relaying the data from that distant nebula; failure was not an option.

The avalanche had trapped them, cold seeping into bone. With raw hands and dwindling hope, they began to dig, each shovelful a desperate act to surmount the crushing weight of snow. Their shared determination fueled the grueling effort, a silent promise to see the surface again.

Barnaby Butterfield, despite his chronic fear of pigeons and a bizarre allergy to polka music, managed to surmount his challenges. He boldly strode across the town square, wearing earplugs and a strategically placed umbrella, to claim his prize for the most spectacular turnip.

Barnaby, after several calamitous attempts involving a runaway cheese wheel and an overzealous badger, finally managed to surmount the gargantuan, glitter-bombed obstacle course he'd constructed to win the neighborhood's most coveted prize: bragging rights over artisanal pickle fermentation.

Challenging: Rare, high-register vocabulary for serious word lovers.

After weeks of relentless effort, Amelia finally saw a glimmer of hope. Her precarious financial situation had felt insurmountable, a gnawing anxiety that shadowed her every move. But through sheer perspicacity and a steadfast refusal to capitulate, she managed to surmount the obstacles, breathing a sigh of profound relief.

Despite the arduous ascent through the labyrinthine fungal forests, their expedition’s ultimate objective remained attainable. Even as luminescent spores precipitated, obscuring vision and inducing profound disquiet, the team knew they had to surmount these disorienting conditions to secure the rare phosphorescent lichen.

The seismic tremor had rendered their subterranean research facility precarious, but Anya knew they could surmount the structural damage. She calmly directed her team, their collective ingenuity a bulwark against despair, to reinforce the failing conduits and stabilize the fractured bedrock.

Despite the preposterous quantity of artisanal cheese and the incipient pandemonium of a rogue badger in a tuxedo, the intrepid explorer vowed to surmount this calamitous predicament, primarily fueled by a potent, if slightly questionable, elixir distilled from fermented kumquats.

The beleaguered gastronome, facing an existential culinary crisis involving a recalcitrant Gruyère and a singularly obstinate sourdough starter, desperately sought a way to surmount this formidable gastronomic impediment.

Difficulty

Normal — Everyday words worth reinforcing.

Appears in

Play word games with surmount Take the 2 minute vocabulary size test