Definition of one–upmanship
: the art or practice of outdoing or keeping one jump ahead of a friend or competitor engaged in a round of verbal one–upmanship
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First Known Use of one–upmanship
1952
ONE–UPMANSHIP Defined for English Language Learners
one-upmanship
play
noun
Definition of one–upmanship for English Language Learners
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: behavior in which someone tries to get an advantage by doing, saying, or having better things than someone else
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