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
Jeff Gluck, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
The weekly political tradition features verbal sparring as the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition try an one-up each other in front of an often rowdy House of Commons.
Andrew Jones
Andrew Jones is a senior desk editor.
—Andrew Jones, NBC News, 2 Nov. 2024
Each tries to one-up the other with outrageous advertising and branding.
—Joseph Cox, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024
Ellie can’t help trying to one-up Carrie and turns espresso martini–making into a competition.
—Emma Soren, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for one-up 
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Verb
That makes this a tremendous coup for GM, particularly since it one-ups American rival Ford in its presence on the F1 grid.
—Jeff Gluck, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
The weekly political tradition features verbal sparring as the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition try an one-up each other in front of an often rowdy House of Commons.
Andrew Jones
Andrew Jones is a senior desk editor.
—Andrew Jones, NBC News, 2 Nov. 2024
Each tries to one-up the other with outrageous advertising and branding.
—Joseph Cox, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024
Ellie can’t help trying to one-up Carrie and turns espresso martini–making into a competition.
—Emma Soren, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for one-up
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Dictionary Entries Near one-up
Cite this Entry
“One-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-up. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.
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