outmeasure
Definition
- Verb (transitive): To exceed in measure or extent; to be longer, greater, or more extensive than something else.
Usage Examples
- (It is taller than the old building.)
- (Her patience was greater than his temper.)
- (The river is longer than any other river in the region.)
Advanced Usage
- "to outmeasure one's expectations": to surpass what was anticipated in terms of quantity or degree.
- The harvest outmeasured all our expectations this year. (The harvest was larger than we had hoped for.)
Variants and Related Words
- Outmeasurement (noun): the act or result of exceeding in measure.
- The outmeasurement of the plot of land was confirmed by the surveyor. (The fact that it exceeded the standard size was confirmed.)
- Outmeasuring (adjective): having the quality of exceeding in measure.
- The outmeasuring length of the bridge required special engineering. (The bridge's length, which exceeded normal measures, required special engineering.)
Synonyms
- Exceed: to be greater than a number or amount.
- Surpass: to be better or greater than something else.
- Outstrip: to become larger, more important, or more successful than someone or something.
- Outdo: to do something better than someone else.
Phrasal Verbs
- Measure up to: to be as good as something expected (not a phrasal verb of "outmeasure", but related in meaning).
- His performance did not outmeasure the standard; it failed to measure up. (His performance was not greater than the expected level; it was not good enough.)
Related Idioms
- Go beyond measure: to exceed what is reasonable or expected.
- Her generosity goes beyond measure, outmeasuring all others. (Her generosity is extremely great, exceeding others.)
- Measure for measure: a phrase meaning something done in return (not directly related to "outmeasure", but uses the root word).
- They gave him measure for measure, but he outmeasured them with greater kindness. (They repaid him equally, but he exceeded their repayment with more kindness.)
Note: "Outmeasure" is a relatively rare word in modern English, often replaced by "exceed" or "surpass" in everyday speech. It is most commonly found in formal, technical, or literary contexts, especially when describing physical dimensions or abstract quantities.