one-upmanship

noun

one-up·​man·​ship ˌwən-ˈəp-mən-ˌship 

variants or less commonly one-upsmanship

ˌwən-ˈəps-mən-ˌship 

: 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

Messi got to play after Mbappé last week and seemed engaged in a game of one-upmanship. — Tom Burrows, New York Times, 27 June 2026

But whereas that world could be characterized, at times, by macho one-upmanship that felt almost bloodthirsty, Esperantists like Jurobola were committed to a hazy vision of peace. — Katie Thornton, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026

The visit, meant to establish stability after a decade of trade wars and acrimonious one-upmanship, instead highlighted how the balance of power is tipping away from Washington. — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026

No one wants to be abrupt and just hang up, but there might also be some one-upmanship lurking below the surface. — Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 2 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for one-upmanship

• associateship
• bipartisanship
• conservatorship
• distributorship
• proprietorship
• secretaryship
• airship
• airstrip
• clerkship
• courtship
• equip
• filmstrip