excel
gb/ɪksˈɛl/ us/ɪksˈɛl/
B1
English
kiemelkedik, felülmúl, Excel, Excel-fájl
VERB
B2
1
kiemelkedik
B2
Usage pattern:
[someone] excels (at/in) [activity/subject]
She excels at languages and picked up Spanish quickly.
Kiemelkedően jó a nyelvekben, és gyorsan megtanult spanyolul.
He has always excelled in science subjects.
Mindig is kiemelkedett a természettudományos tantárgyakban.
The new hire excels in dealing with difficult customers.
Learner examples
I excel at basketball.
Nagyon jól kosárlabdázom.
She excels in school.
Kiemelkedően teljesít az iskolában.
Common mistake:
Use a preposition: usually excel at or excel in (not *excel something* in this meaning).
Meaning
be extremely good at something
Collocations
excel at math
|excel in science
|excel academically
|excel professionally
|excel in your role
|excel at chess
|excel in leadership
|excel at customer service
|excel in school
|excel in your career
Synonyms
shine (More informal; suggests being noticeably impressive.)
|
thrive (Emphasizes doing well and developing successfully over time.)
|
be outstanding (A common paraphrase focusing on high quality.)
Antonyms
struggle (Shows difficulty doing the activity well.)
|
underperform (Means performing worse than expected, often in work/school contexts.)
Themes
education
|work
|skills
Definition
to be very good at something
To do something extremely well, or to be very good at a particular activity or subject.
VERB
C1
FORMAL
2
felülmúl
B2
Usage pattern:
[something] excels [something] (in [quality/area])
This model excels its predecessor in battery life.
Ez a modell az akkumulátor-üzemidőt tekintve felülmúlja az elődjét.
In terms of reliability, their service excels most competitors.
Megbízhatóság szempontjából a szolgáltatásuk felülmúlja a legtöbb versenytársét.
The new design excels the old one in comfort.
Learner examples
This phone excels the older model in speed.
Ez a telefon gyorsaságban felülmúlja a régebbi modellt.
Common mistake:
This transitive use is more formal and less common than excel at/in.
Meaning
surpass something in quality
Collocations
excel its rivals
|excel the competition
|excel its predecessor
|excel in performance
|excel in reliability
|excel in efficiency
|excel in quality
|excel in design
|excel in speed
|excel in accuracy
Synonyms
surpass (Very close in meaning and register.)
|
outdo (More personal and competitive; often about people.)
|
exceed (Often about levels or expectations; less about direct comparison.)
Antonyms
trail (Means to be behind another in performance or quality.)
|
fall short of (Emphasizes not reaching the other standard.)
Themes
comparison
|business
|technology
Definition
to be better than something else
To be better than another person or thing, especially in a particular quality or feature.
NOUN
B1
TECHNICAL
3
Excel
A2
Usage pattern:
in Excel; using Excel
I keep our monthly budget in Excel.
Az Excelben vezetem a havi költségvetésünket.
Please export the table to Excel and email it to me.
Kérlek, exportáld a táblázatot Excelbe, és küldd el e-mailben.
She knows Excel well enough to build pivot tables.
Learner examples
I use Excel at work.
A munkahelyemen Excelt használok.
The list is in Excel.
A lista Excelben van.
Common mistake:
In this meaning it is a proper name and is often written with a capital letter: Excel.
Meaning
Microsoft spreadsheet program
Collocations
use Excel
|work in Excel
|Excel spreadsheet
|Excel workbook
|Excel worksheet
|Excel file
|Excel formulas
|Excel functions
|Excel charts
|export to Excel
Synonyms
spreadsheet program (Generic term; not a brand name.)
Themes
technology
|business
|computing
Definition
a computer program for spreadsheets
A spreadsheet program made by Microsoft, used to organize data, perform calculations, and create charts.
NOUN
B1
BUSINESS
4
Excel-fájl
B1
Excel
B1
Usage pattern:
an Excel; an Excel with [data]
Can you send me the Excel with last quarter’s sales numbers?
El tudod küldeni az Excel-fájlt a múlt negyedévi értékesítési adatokkal?
I attached an Excel showing the updated inventory.
Csatoltam egy Excel-fájlt a frissített készletadatokkal.
We keep the schedule in an Excel shared with the whole team.
Learner examples
Please send me the Excel.
Kérlek, küldd el az Excel-fájlt.
I attached an Excel file.
Csatoltam egy Excel-fájlt.
Common mistake:
Many speakers say an Excel meaning “an Excel file,” especially at work; in more careful writing, say an Excel file/spreadsheet.
Meaning
an Excel spreadsheet file
Collocations
send an Excel
|attach an Excel
|share an Excel
|open the Excel
|update the Excel
|fill in the Excel
|an Excel with the figures
|an Excel of contacts
|an Excel of expenses
|an Excel report
Synonyms
spreadsheet (More general; does not specify the software.)
|
Excel file (More explicit and clearer in formal writing.)
Themes
business
|technology
|work
Definition
a spreadsheet file made in Excel
A spreadsheet file, typically created with Microsoft Excel (often used as a count noun in business contexts).
Grammar
Dictionary form
excel
IPA
GB/ɪksˈɛl/
US/ɪksˈɛl/
Syllables & stress
ex - cel (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (cel)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: excel
- 3rd Person Singular: excels
- Present Participle: excelling
- Past: excelled
Word family
Forms
excels
verb
excelling
verb
excelled
verb
Core family
Expressions
excel at
1/ɪksˈɛl ˈæt/
fixed phrase
be very good at
to be very good at something
Examples
- She excels at solving complex problems.
- He excelled at tennis in high school.
- Our team excels at customer support.
Learner examples
- He excels at cooking.
- She excels at math.
excel in
1/ɪksˈɛl ˈɪn/
fixed phrase
be outstanding in a field
to be very good in an area
Examples
- She excels in finance and data analysis.
- He has the kind of personality that excels in sales.
- The company excels in product design.
Learner examples
- She excels in English.
- He excels in his job.