outplay

verb

out·​play ˌau̇t-ˈplā 

outplayed; outplaying; outplays

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 Aggies poor play doomed them to an 0-2 start in SEC play as the Wildcats outplayed them at home in the conference opener before the Tigers rocked them in the team’s first road game of the year. — Peter Warren, Houston Chronicle, 30 Sep. 2026

The Tigers simply got outplayed by the Bulldogs, who made plenty of clutch plays, too. — Pj Green september 27, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026

Carolina outgained the Browns (2-1), 262 to 127, in passing yards but were outgained on the ground, 132 to 98, and were outplayed on third- and fourth-down. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 27 Sep. 2026

She’s shown to be relatively smart and a nice person, but she gets solidly outplayed by Jenna. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1702, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for outplay

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• assez
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway

Kids Definition

outplay

verb

out·​play

(ˈ)au̇t-ˈplā

: to play better than