outplay

verb out·play \ ˌau̇t-ˈplā \

|Updated on: 8 Jul 2018

Definition of outplay

transitive verb

: 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)

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Recent Examples of outplay from the Web

The stats show that Colombia had only a moderate advantage in possession, with 57 percent in the first half, and just a 3-2 edge in shots, but Poland was thoroughly outplayed.

— joel petterson, New York Times, "Colombia Keeps World Cup Hopes Alive While Dashing Poland’s," 25 June 2018
The Scandinavians started strongly but were outplayed by the Super Eagles in the second half, as Ahmed Musa netted a brace and Gylfi Sigurdsson missed a late penalty.

— SI.com, "Iceland Manager 'Confident' of World Cup Victory Over Croatia Despite Humbling Loss Against Nigeria," 23 June 2018
Just one game in, Panama's campaign already feels doomed after being totally outplayed by Belgium.

— martin rogers, USA TODAY, "The United States' World Cup failure is looking worse every day," 19 June 2018
But this much is clear: In practices open to the media, Fales — who was third on the depth chart last year — has been clearly the best of the three contenders for the No. 2 QB job, outplaying both Brock Osweiler and Bryce Petty.

— barry jackson, miamiherald, "Here's what a Dolphins quarterback is doing that's 'remarkable'," 14 June 2018
After three games of being thoroughly outplayed by the Boston Celtics, the 76ers had finally had enough.

— sarah todd, Philly.com, "After tough start to series, Dario Saric leads Sixers to Game 4 win over Celtics," 9 May 2018
While in front of the net, Braden Holtby outplayed his counterpart and three-time Stanley Cup champion Marc-Andre Fleury, with 28 saves in Game 5 to help his team claim the NHL’s ultimate prize.

— benjamin brown, Fox News, "Washington Capitals beat Vegas Golden Knights to win Stanley Cup," 8 June 2018
The Cowboys will outplay this ranking, especially if Sean Lee stays healthy all year and the young corners take the next step.

— steven ruiz, For The Win, "Ranking all 32 NFL defenses heading into the 2018 season," 7 June 2018
Rosen can outplay the other QBs in this class and deliver with his arm and moxie, starting over Sam Bradford from Day 1.

— azcentral, "NFL draft grades: Cardinals ace NFL draft with Josh Rosen, Christian Kirk, other picks?," 30 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'outplay.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.