Other forms: exceeded, exceeding, exceeds
To exceed is to go past a limit or to beat an expectation. Exceed the limit, exceed expectations, not to exceed.
With a limit it is neutral or bad — exceed the speed limit, exceed the budget. With an expectation it is praise: exceeded all expectations. Not to exceed is contract language for a cap. Note exceedingly, which means extremely and is faintly old-fashioned; excess and excessive, which come from the same root; and that exceed partly displaced the Old English word that survives as overstep.
1verbexceedTo go past a limit.
“Drivers who exceed the speed limit will be fined.”
2verbbeatTo beat an expectation.
“The film's success exceeded everyone's expectations.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
exceed is a going beyond.
Also accepted in games: surpass
Latin excedere is ex- plus cedere, to go — to go out beyond. Concede, precede and proceed come from the same going.
Latin
excēdō — to go beyond
Old French
exceder
Middle English
exceden
English, today
exceed
Built from
From Middle English exceden, from Old French exceder, from Latin excēdō (“to go beyond”), from ex- (“out, forth”) with cēdō (“to go”); see cede and compare accede etc. Partly displaced native ofersteppan, whence Modern English overstep.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA