one-up

1 of 2

verb

ˌwən-ˈəp 

ˈwən-

one-upped; one-upping; one-ups

transitive verb

: to practice one-upmanship on

always trying to one-up each other by buying the latest gadgets

one up

2 of 2

adjective

: being in a position of advantage

—usually used with on

He finished his assignment early, which put him one up on me.

Examples of one-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Ingordo bids aggressively, but a Japanese gentleman next to him, his phone pressed to his ear the entire time, one-ups him. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026

Mitchell went even further, one-upping the right-wing provocateur. — Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 28 Oct. 2026

Not only are both of our two major parties now committed to the practice, one-upping each other into the future, but the common citizen is on board as well, yearning for a chance to do injury to people who think differently. — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026

Those who manufacture TVs are constantly seeking new ways to one-up their competitors, either through unique design or unmatchable image quality. — Justin Pot, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

back-formation from one-upmanship

First Known Use

Verb

1963, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1919, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for one-up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup