outplay
verb
out·play
ˌau̇t-ˈplā 
outplayed; outplaying; outplays
: to play better than
especially
: to outdo in playing a game
The Knicks took a 21-point lead in the first half, gave up 18 consecutive points in the third quarter, but outplayed the Kings down the stretch to win … —
The Times Union (Albany, New York)
The Times Union (Albany, New York) Examples of outplay in a Sentence
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This season’s revelation, Bournemouth, were outplayed and outfought for 90 minutes before Leeds chucked away two points at the death.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
But the student outplayed the master, with Packers QB Jordan Love completing 29 of 37 passes (including 20 throws in a row at one point) for 360 yards and three touchdowns as the Packers rolled to a 35-25 win.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA Today, 27 Oct. 2025
The thing is, he is not motivated by a columnist telling him to outplay Dak Prescott.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Oct. 2025
That Knicks flurry kicked off a truly dreadful second quarter for the Celtics, who also surrendered runs of 12-0 and 17-0 while being outplayed in nearly every facet.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
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Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
But the student outplayed the master, with Packers QB Jordan Love completing 29 of 37 passes (including 20 throws in a row at one point) for 360 yards and three touchdowns as the Packers rolled to a 35-25 win.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA Today, 27 Oct. 2025
The thing is, he is not motivated by a columnist telling him to outplay Dak Prescott.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Oct. 2025
That Knicks flurry kicked off a truly dreadful second quarter for the Celtics, who also surrendered runs of 12-0 and 17-0 while being outplayed in nearly every facet.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for outplay
Cite this Entry
“Outplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outplay. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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