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
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Last season, Daniels outshined and outplayed Williams, leading many to question whether the Bears picked the wrong quarterback with the top pick.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 14 Oct. 2025
Denver continues to get outplayed on special teams, with 89 fewer combined kick and punt-return yards than New York in London.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025
The Penguins outplayed the Rangers in the first 25 minutes of this game.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Hoover ended up throwing for 376 yards and added two more touchdown passes, but for the second time in Big 12 play, he was outplayed by the opposing quarterback and had multiple game-changing turnovers that doomed the Horned Frogs down the stretch.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Oct. 2025
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Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 14 Oct. 2025
Denver continues to get outplayed on special teams, with 89 fewer combined kick and punt-return yards than New York in London.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025
The Penguins outplayed the Rangers in the first 25 minutes of this game.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Hoover ended up throwing for 376 yards and added two more touchdown passes, but for the second time in Big 12 play, he was outplayed by the opposing quarterback and had multiple game-changing turnovers that doomed the Horned Frogs down the stretch.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for outplay
Cite this Entry
“Outplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outplay. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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