The term EXCEED IN IMPORTANCE can be broken down into three crossword solutions: ECLIPSE (7 letters), OUTWEIGH (8 letters), and OUTRANK (7 letters). ECLIPSE means to overshadow or surpass in importance, OUTWEIGH means to be more important than something else, and OUTRANK means to have a higher rank or status than someone else. All three words refer to the idea of being more important than something else, which is the definition of EXCEED IN IMPORTANCE.