outplay

out·play | \ ˌau̇t-ˈplā

How to pronounce outplay (audio)

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outplayed; outplaying; outplays

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)

Examples of outplay in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The good thing is that his next game gives him the chance to play spoiler to Alabama locking up the No. 1 College Football Playoff seed while attempting to outplay two other players on this list. — Stephen Means, cleveland, "Conference championship week provides the perfect stage for a favorite to emerge: Heisman Watch," 17 Dec. 2020 It’s not easy to outplay a top-15 ranking in the Dallas area, but Salter has done it so far. — Joseph Hoyt, Dallas News, "10 Dallas-area seniors who out-performed their recruiting ranking in 2020," 15 Dec. 2020 New England didn’t seem to outplay Philadelphia statistically, ceding more shots and on-ball possession. — Julia Poe, orlandosentinel.com, "Underdogs Orlando City, New England face off in playoff match," 28 Nov. 2020 In other words, Dalton, who was initially the second of four Cowboys quarterback to start a game this season, needs to outplay Alex Smith, who is the third Washington quarterback to start in 2020. — Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas News, "Andy Dalton stepped up in Minnesota, gave the Dallas Cowboys life in their divisional race," 22 Nov. 2020 The question is whether White will outplay Hooker and Proctor and leave fans thinking about what could have been? — Stephen Means, cleveland, "Ohio State football vs. Rutgers: Game Time Decisions for Buckeyes' night game against Scarlet Knights," 7 Nov. 2020 Especially because there's no clear case for Brissett being able to outplay him. — Jim Ayello, The Indianapolis Star, "Frank Reich: Colts not considering benching QB Philip Rivers for Jacoby Brissett," 12 Oct. 2020 NFL Network analyst and former head coach Brian Billick said Monday that the Browns' game Thursday night in Cleveland against the Cincinnati Bengals is one in which Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield must outplay Bengals rookie Joe Burrow. — Dave Clark, The Enquirer, "Brian Billick: No bigger game for any player than Thursday vs. Bengals for Baker Mayfield," 15 Sep. 2020 In order to accomplish that, the Spurs would need to outplay three teams — Portland, Sacramento and New Orleans — and then beat the eighth-place team (likely Memphis) twice. — Jeff Mcdonald, ExpressNews.com, "If NBA Disney happens, Spurs face a steep climb," 13 June 2020

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.

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Last Updated

24 Dec 2020

Cite this Entry

“Outplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outplay. Accessed 17 Jan. 2021.

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