Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Surmount \Sur*mount"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Surmounted}; p. pr.
   & vb. n. {Surmounting}.] [OE. sourmounten, OF. surmonter,
   sormonter, F. surmonter; sur over + monter to mount. See
   {Sur-}, and {Mount}, v. i.]
   1. To rise above; to be higher than; to overtop.

            The mountains of Olympus, Athos, and Atlas,
            overreach and surmount all winds and clouds. --Sir
                                                  W. Raleigh.

   2. To conquer; to overcome; as, to surmount difficulties or
      obstacles. --Macaulay.

   3. To surpass; to exceed. --Spenser.

            What surmounts the reach Of human sense I shall
            delineate.                            --Milton.

   Syn: To conquer; overcome; vanquish; subdue; surpass; exceed.

Source : WordNet®

surmount
     v 1: get on top of; deal with successfully; "He overcame his
          shyness" [syn: {overcome}, {get over}, {subdue}, {master}]
     2: be on top of; "The scarf surmounted the gown"
     3: reach the highest point of; "We scaled the Mont Blanc" [syn:
         {scale}]
     4: be or do something to a greater degree; "her performance
        surpasses that of any other student I know"; "She outdoes
        all other athletes"; "This exceeds all my expectations";
        "This car outperforms all others in its class" [syn: {surpass},
         {outstrip}, {outmatch}, {outgo}, {exceed}, {outdo}, {outperform}]