v. To pass beyond the limits of: emotions that transcend understanding. v. To be greater than, as in intensity or power; surpass: love that transcends infatuation. See Synonyms at excel.v. To exist above and independent of (material experience or the universe): "One never can see the thing in itself, because the mind does not transcend phenomena” ( Hilaire Belloc). verb-intransitive. To be transcendent; excel.