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
Recent Examples on the Web
The new era has incorporated new, polarizing twists and brought back the fan-favorite auction over the past few seasons, and incoming players have become accustomed to expect the unexpected in addition to preparing physically and mentally to outwit, outplay and outlast each other.
—Brian Anthony Hernandez, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024
Initially, as an offensive player, I was fixated on complex maneuvers to outplay defenders.
—Yec, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
That stat sheet looks nice, but IU's backcourt was badly outplayed by Purdue's and Galloway finished with a -17 in +/-.
—Matthew Glenesk, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Jan. 2024
Once again, the third period proved to be the Sharks’ undoing, although this wasn’t a case where they were badly outplayed.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
Duke: Kyle Filipowski, a preseason Associated Press All-American, didn't have a strong bounceback from the UNC loss, when he was soundly outplayed in a marquee matchup with Armando Bacot.
—Aaron Beard, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024
The Musketeers are looking for their first road conference victory after being outplayed in Queens, New York by St. John's in December and falling at the buzzer at Villanova last week.
—Shelby Dermer, The Enquirer, 15 Jan. 2024
Five days after beating Arizona on its home court, USC was outplaying the Wildcats again with sticky defense and a snail’s pace that favored the Trojans.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024
Tagovailoa’s representation, Athletes First, could make the case that Tagovailoa outperformed Hurts in general last season and outplayed Herbert and Burrow in 2023 before each of their season-ending injuries.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2024
Brian Anthony Hernandez, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024
Initially, as an offensive player, I was fixated on complex maneuvers to outplay defenders.
—Yec, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
That stat sheet looks nice, but IU's backcourt was badly outplayed by Purdue's and Galloway finished with a -17 in +/-.
—Matthew Glenesk, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Jan. 2024
Once again, the third period proved to be the Sharks’ undoing, although this wasn’t a case where they were badly outplayed.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
Duke: Kyle Filipowski, a preseason Associated Press All-American, didn't have a strong bounceback from the UNC loss, when he was soundly outplayed in a marquee matchup with Armando Bacot.
—Aaron Beard, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024
The Musketeers are looking for their first road conference victory after being outplayed in Queens, New York by St. John's in December and falling at the buzzer at Villanova last week.
—Shelby Dermer, The Enquirer, 15 Jan. 2024
Five days after beating Arizona on its home court, USC was outplaying the Wildcats again with sticky defense and a snail’s pace that favored the Trojans.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024
Tagovailoa’s representation, Athletes First, could make the case that Tagovailoa outperformed Hurts in general last season and outplayed Herbert and Burrow in 2023 before each of their season-ending injuries.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'outplay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Outplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outplay. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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