surplus value

noun

: the difference in Marxist theory between the value of work done or of commodities produced by labor and the usually subsistence wages paid by the employer

Examples of surplus value in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Let other teams sweat their models, fuss over surplus values and engage in paralysis by analysis. Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 25 July 2025 How did the economies of these systems work (when people weren’t being killed or starved to death)? In Marx’s view of capitalism, the capitalists captured a surplus value created by workers. John C. Goodman, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025 Many of the picks around those two were misfires, so Arizona did well to find surplus value that season. The Athletic Nhl Staff, New York Times, 21 June 2025 The Stars are getting surplus value out of Robertson’s $7.75 million cap hit now, when his market value for the next season projects to be around $10.5 million. Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 19 June 2025 The issue with acquiring Geekie is that there’s no way to lock in surplus value on his next contract. Thomas Drance, New York Times, 2 June 2025 In other words, the proletariat, employed or otherwise, only increases in number as fewer of its members are necessary for yielding up the surplus value that forms the essence of the system. Benjamin Kunkel, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025 But the basic idea is this: Soto in the early years of the deal might provide surplus value beyond $51 million per season. Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025 Are all of those deals going to age beautifully and yield surplus value? Chad Graff, The Athletic, 11 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of surplus value was in 1887

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Cite this Entry

“Surplus value.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surplus%20value. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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