SURPLUS

[noun], [adjective] [not gradable] - (an amount which is) more than is neededThe world is now producing large food surpluses. [C]There is a surplus of staff in some departments of the company. [C]We are unlikely to produce any surplus this year. [U]Every country has a pool of surplus labour.Farmers are feeding all their surplus wheat to pigs.The government has authorized the army to sell its surplus weapons.(UK) The store is selling off stock that is surplus to requirements (= goods which are more than they need to have).(UK) He was told that he had become surplus to requirements (= that he was no longer needed in his job).A surplus is also the amount of money you have left when you sell more than you buy, or spend less than you have.There has been a sharp increase in the country's trade surplus. [C]The government is forecasting a budget surplus this year. [C]The school's bank account is currently in surplus. [U]