Standard Lemma guide

surfeit

adj · noun · verb · 19 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsɜː.fɪt/
  • General-American: /ˈsɝː.fɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)fɪt
  • CMU ARPABET: S ER1 F AH0 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Sated; surfeited; filled.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An excessive amount of something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Examples

  • A surfeit of wheat is driving down the price.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Overindulgence in either food or drink; overeating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A sickness or condition caused by overindulgence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Examples

  • King Henry I is said to have died of a surfeit of lampreys.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Disgust caused by excess; satiety.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A group of skunks.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To fill (something) to excess.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stuff

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To feed (someone) to excess (on, upon or with something).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • She surfeited her children on sweets.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: glut, overfeed, stuff

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To make (someone) sick as a result of overconsumption.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To supply (someone) with something to excess; to disgust (someone) through overabundance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, transitive

Examples

  • 1697, Aphra Behn, “On an ungrateful and undeserving Mistress, whom he cou’d not help Loving” in Poems upon Several Occasions, London: Francis Saunders, p. 50, While some glad Rival in her Arms did lye, Glutted with Love and surfeited with Joy.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cloy, glut

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

To satisfy (someone's appetite) to excess.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, sometimes, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: glut

Antonyms: none provided

12

verb

Meaning 12

To overeat or feed to excess (on or upon something).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive, reflexive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: glut, indulge, overfeed, overindulge

Antonyms: none provided

13

verb

Meaning 13

To indulge (in something) to excess.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, intransitive, reflexive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

verb

Meaning 14

To become sick from overindulgence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, intransitive, reflexive, sometimes

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

15

noun

Meaning 15

eating until excessively full

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: repletion

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: eating, feeding

16

noun

Meaning 16

the quality of being so overabundant that prices fall

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: glut, oversupply

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: overabundance, overmuch, overmuchness, superabundance

17

noun

Meaning 17

the state of being more than full

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: excess, overabundance

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: fullness

18

verb

Meaning 18

indulge (one's appetite) to satiety

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: indulge, luxuriate

19

verb

Meaning 19

supply or feed to surfeit

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cloy

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: supply, provide, render, furnish

History

Etymology

From Middle English surfeite, surfet, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman surfet, surfeit and Old French sorfet, sorfait, past participle of surfaire (“to augment, exaggerate, exceed”), from sur- (“over”) + faire (“to do”). The adjective is derived from the noun.

Across languages

Translations

66 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: изли́шък (izlíšǎk) — excessive amount of something
  • Catalan: excés — excessive amount of something
  • Danish: overflod — excessive amount of something
  • Dutch: overdaad — excessive amount of something
  • Dutch: overvloed — excessive amount of something
  • Finnish: ylenpalttisuus — excessive amount of something
  • Finnish: liika — excessive amount of something
  • Finnish: yltäkylläisyys — excessive amount of something
  • French: excès — excessive amount of something
  • German: Übermaß — excessive amount of something
  • Irish: anlucht — excessive amount of something
  • Italian: eccesso — excessive amount of something
  • Italian: sovrabbondanza — excessive amount of something
  • Polish: nadmiar — excessive amount of something
  • Russian: изли́шек (izlíšek) — excessive amount of something
  • Russian: избы́ток (izbýtok) — excessive amount of something
  • Ukrainian: надлишок (nadlyšok) — excessive amount of something
  • Ukrainian: надмірність (nadmirnistʹ) — excessive amount of something
  • Welsh: syrffed — excessive amount of something
  • Welsh: gormodedd — excessive amount of something
  • Bulgarian: преяждане (prejaždane) — overindulgence in either food or drink; overeating
  • Finnish: mässäily — overindulgence in either food or drink; overeating
  • German: Übersättigung — overindulgence in either food or drink; overeating
  • Italian: abbuffata — overindulgence in either food or drink; overeating
  • Italian: scorpacciata — overindulgence in either food or drink; overeating
  • Polish: przejedzenie — overindulgence in either food or drink; overeating
  • Russian: неуме́ренность (neumérennostʹ) — overindulgence in either food or drink; overeating
  • Russian: изли́шество (izlíšestvo) — overindulgence in either food or drink; overeating
  • Russian: обжо́рство (obžórstvo) — overindulgence in either food or drink; overeating
  • Ukrainian: переїдання (perejidannja) — overindulgence in either food or drink; overeating
  • Catalan: empatx — sickness or condition caused by overindulgence
  • Finnish: ähky — sickness or condition caused by overindulgence
  • Ancient Greek: ἄση (ásē) — sickness or condition caused by overindulgence
  • Italian: sazietà — sickness or condition caused by overindulgence
  • Polish: przesyt — sickness or condition caused by overindulgence
  • Bulgarian: втръсване (vtrǎsvane) — disgust caused by excess; satiety
  • Finnish: ähky — disgust caused by excess; satiety
  • Hungarian: csömör — disgust caused by excess; satiety
  • Polish: przesyt — disgust caused by excess; satiety
  • Telugu: మొగచాటు (mogacāṭu) — disgust caused by excess; satiety
  • Bulgarian: препълвам (prepǎlvam) — to fill to excess
  • Bulgarian: натъпквам (natǎpkvam) — to fill to excess
  • Polish: przepełniać — to fill to excess
  • Polish: przepełnić — to fill to excess
  • Russian: переполня́ть (perepolnjátʹ) — to fill to excess
  • Russian: перепо́лнить (perepólnitʹ) — to fill to excess
  • Spanish: colmar — to fill to excess
  • German: überfüttern — to feed someone to excess
  • German: vollstopfen — to feed someone to excess
  • Polish: przekarmiać — to feed someone to excess
  • Polish: przekarmić — to feed someone to excess
  • Russian: перека́рмливать (perekármlivatʹ) — to feed someone to excess
  • Russian: перекорми́ть (perekormítʹ) — to feed someone to excess
  • Bulgarian: преяждам (prejaždam) — to overeat or feed to excess
  • Finnish: ylensyödä — to overeat or feed to excess
  • German: sich überfressen — to overeat or feed to excess
  • Polish: przejadać się — to overeat or feed to excess
  • Polish: przejeść się — to overeat or feed to excess
  • Russian: объеда́ться (obʺjedátʹsja) — to overeat or feed to excess
  • Russian: объе́сться (obʺjéstʹsja) — to overeat or feed to excess
  • Russian: перееда́ть (perejedátʹ) — to overeat or feed to excess
  • Russian: перее́сть (perejéstʹ) — to overeat or feed to excess
  • Bulgarian: втръсвам се (vtrǎsvam se) — to sicken from overindulgence
  • Hungarian: megcsömörlik — to sicken from overindulgence
  • Hungarian: megcsömörödik — to sicken from overindulgence
  • Polish: mieć przesyt — to sicken from overindulgence