one-upped; one-upping; one-ups
: to practice one-upmanship on
: being in a position of advantage
—usually used with on
Examples of one-up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Regina Kim, Forbes, 21 Sep. 2024
Beijing and Washington must avoid measures of success that are defined by slowing down or one-upping the other.
—Jessica Chen Weiss, Foreign Affairs, 16 Sep. 2024
The brilliant final punchline, without giving much away, nicely one-ups the similar conclusion of The Prey (1983).
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 13 Sep. 2024
Both the 90s version of this show and the 2019 reboot use the anthology storytelling method to creep out viewers and inspire kids to one-up each other's narrative skills, while trying not to get scared themselves–or worse.
—Devonne Goode, Parents, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for one-up 
Verb
Near the beginning of the series, Seok-ryu’s mother and Seung-hyo’s mother try to one-up each other by comparing their kids.
—Regina Kim, Forbes, 21 Sep. 2024
Beijing and Washington must avoid measures of success that are defined by slowing down or one-upping the other.
—Jessica Chen Weiss, Foreign Affairs, 16 Sep. 2024
The brilliant final punchline, without giving much away, nicely one-ups the similar conclusion of The Prey (1983).
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 13 Sep. 2024
Both the 90s version of this show and the 2019 reboot use the anthology storytelling method to creep out viewers and inspire kids to one-up each other's narrative skills, while trying not to get scared themselves–or worse.
—Devonne Goode, Parents, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for one-up
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'one-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“One-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-up. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
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