- in addition to an amount that is necessary, usual or legal
- Excess food is stored as fat.
- Driving with excess alcohol in the blood is a serious offence.
- The book is hard to obtain, because of excess demand following the author’s appearance on TV.
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- (British English) required as extra payment
- The full excess fare had to be paid.
Word Originlate Middle English: via Old French from Latin excessus, from excedere ‘go out, surpass’, from ex- ‘out’ + cedere ‘go’.
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excess