one-upmanship
noun
one-up·man·ship
ˌwən-ˈəp-mən-ˌship 
variants
or less commonly one-upsmanship
: the art or practice of outdoing or keeping one jump ahead of a friend or competitor
engaged in a round of verbal one-upmanship
Examples of one-upmanship in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The characters seem more concerned with personal gain and political one-upmanship than with serving the public good.
—
Arkansas Online, 28 June 2025
Many exchanges are nonsensical, full of one-upmanship using difficult words and laughter.
—Claudia Lauder, Christian Science Monitor, 23 June 2025
Wilson’s songwriting grew deeper and more passionate, resulting in The Beach Boys’ 1966 masterpiece Pet Sounds, which stands among the greatest albums ever made and which set off the greatest game of one-upmanship in rock history.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 11 June 2025
That country’s arms race in fast charging is already sparking one-upmanship.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 June 2025
Yet the pair become rivals for the affections of a widowed first-grade teacher (Olivia Williams) and engage in some great one-upmanship shenanigans.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 June 2025
This bizarre love triangle results in Max and Herman (Bill Murray) waging a war of one-upmanship to the sounds of the ‘60s British invasion.
—Shannon Carlin, Time, 30 May 2025
Coop’s former family home, in a neighborhood where houses regularly cost eight figures, is a gray monstrosity, and parties in the community are occasions for exhausting one-upmanship.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
This is a corrupt web of government dysfunction and one-upmanship.
—Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Arkansas Online, 28 June 2025
Many exchanges are nonsensical, full of one-upmanship using difficult words and laughter.
—Claudia Lauder, Christian Science Monitor, 23 June 2025
Wilson’s songwriting grew deeper and more passionate, resulting in The Beach Boys’ 1966 masterpiece Pet Sounds, which stands among the greatest albums ever made and which set off the greatest game of one-upmanship in rock history.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 11 June 2025
That country’s arms race in fast charging is already sparking one-upmanship.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 June 2025
Yet the pair become rivals for the affections of a widowed first-grade teacher (Olivia Williams) and engage in some great one-upmanship shenanigans.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 June 2025
This bizarre love triangle results in Max and Herman (Bill Murray) waging a war of one-upmanship to the sounds of the ‘60s British invasion.
—Shannon Carlin, Time, 30 May 2025
Coop’s former family home, in a neighborhood where houses regularly cost eight figures, is a gray monstrosity, and parties in the community are occasions for exhausting one-upmanship.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
This is a corrupt web of government dysfunction and one-upmanship.
—Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“One-upmanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-upmanship. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
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