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

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

Kamario Taylor has thrown 11 touchdowns and one interception through three games and will outplay Austin Simmons at home in a matchup of two QBs who have been revelations. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

Continue reading … DIGITAL'S NEWS QUIZ — How did Macklemore get outplayed? — FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Oregon still has a touch of room for error, but confidence in the Ducks getting to 10 wins has to be down after seeing Oklahoma State thoroughly outplay them. — Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 15 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