[sur-pluhs, -pluh
s] 
noun, adjective, verb, -plussed or -plused, -plus⋅sing or -plus⋅ing.| 1. | something that remains above what is used or needed. |
| 2. | an amount, quantity, etc., greater than needed. |
| 3. | agricultural produce or a quantity of food grown by a nation or area in excess of its needs, esp. such a quantity of food purchased and stored by a governmental program of guaranteeing farmers a specific price for certain crops. |
| 4. | Accounting.
|
| 5. | being a surplus; being in excess of what is required: surplus wheat. |
| 6. | to treat as surplus; sell off; retire: The government surplussed some of its desert lands. |
| sur·plus (sûr'pləs, -plŭs') adj. Being more than or in excess of what is needed or required: surplus grain. See Synonyms at superfluous. n.
[Middle English, an excess, surplus, from Old French, an excess, from Medieval Latin superplūs : Latin super-, super- + Latin plūs, more; see pelə-1 in Indo-European roots.] |
An unsold quantity of a good resulting from a lack of equilibrium in a market. For example, if a price is artificially high, sellers will bring more goods to the market than buyers will be willing to buy. (Compare shortage.)
Surplus
A situation in which assets exceed liabilities, income exceeds expenditures, exports exceed imports, or profits exceed losses.
Investopedia Commentary
A surplus is the opposite of a deficit. When a country exports more then it imports, it is said to have a trade surplus.
Related Links
Understanding The Capital And Financial Accounts In The Balance Of Payments
Understanding The Current Account In The Balance Of Payments
What Is The Balance Of Payments?
surplus
Equity in excess of par value. Surplus includes additional paid-in capital and retained earnings.
See retained earnings.