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
Except, when the rehearsals start in earnest and boys enter the duo’s orbit in after-school adventures, their already off-balance dual existence and sneaky one-upmanship worsens.
—
Tomris Laffly, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
Hosting duties became a game of high-stakes one-upmanship.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 7 Jan. 2026
There is a constant need to upgrade their facilities, in the silent race for prestige and primacy of which the constant prize money one-upmanship is just one element.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Music promoters, both craving the one-upmanship and genuine satisfaction of getting a lucrative band back on a stage, have more money at their disposal than ever before to make their pipe dreams a reality.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
In the matter of handmade placards—Magic Marker on cardboard, duct-taped to wooden yardsticks—there was a certain amount of politico-literary one-upmanship.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
This one-upmanship obscured testimony on how many games reproduced—rather than created—society’s sexist and racist ideals.
—Time, 8 Oct. 2025
Still practicing the Gershwin standard and learning to do less in order to do more – that is, creating something richer for collaboration rather than one-upmanship.
—John Baldoni, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Others blame the play-hard, party-hard vibe in idyllic mountain towns that can lead to substance abuse (a risk factor for suicide), as well as social media, the culture of relentless athletic one-upmanship, and the obsessive pursuit of fun.
—Kate Siber, Outside Online, 4 Sep. 2018
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Tomris Laffly, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
Hosting duties became a game of high-stakes one-upmanship.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 7 Jan. 2026
There is a constant need to upgrade their facilities, in the silent race for prestige and primacy of which the constant prize money one-upmanship is just one element.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Music promoters, both craving the one-upmanship and genuine satisfaction of getting a lucrative band back on a stage, have more money at their disposal than ever before to make their pipe dreams a reality.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
In the matter of handmade placards—Magic Marker on cardboard, duct-taped to wooden yardsticks—there was a certain amount of politico-literary one-upmanship.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
This one-upmanship obscured testimony on how many games reproduced—rather than created—society’s sexist and racist ideals.
—Time, 8 Oct. 2025
Still practicing the Gershwin standard and learning to do less in order to do more – that is, creating something richer for collaboration rather than one-upmanship.
—John Baldoni, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Others blame the play-hard, party-hard vibe in idyllic mountain towns that can lead to substance abuse (a risk factor for suicide), as well as social media, the culture of relentless athletic one-upmanship, and the obsessive pursuit of fun.
—Kate Siber, Outside Online, 4 Sep. 2018
Cite this Entry
“One-upmanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-upmanship. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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