one-up

verb

Definition of one-upnext
as in to outdo

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of one-up The Berenstein Bear's bedrooms are arranged in a one-up, one-down layout. — New Atlas, 10 June 2026 In July 2021, Bronny was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the tender age of 16 — one-upping his superstar dad, who made his SI debut at 17 years old. — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026 Mondo Duplantis, who was born in Louisiana but competes for his mother’s home country of Sweden, keeps one-upping himself, one centimeter at a time. — Sean Gregory, Time, 9 June 2026 The confidence was back, bolstered by a heady evening spent emotionally one-upping one another. — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for one-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-up
  1. outdo
  2. outrun
  3. outpace
  4. better
  5. outrace
  6. outshine
  7. surpass
  8. transcend
Verb
  • As this report explained, this is largely thanks to its uncompromising quality standards and its insistence that each of its attractions outdoes its predecessors.
    — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • And while there are still comic artists and writers at small tables signing and sketching, and dealers selling original art out of binders in crates, a good chunk of the space is occupied by media and toy companies, trying to outdo one another.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2026
Definition of outdo
Verb
  • Video captured by a tourist on board a boat in northern Botswana showed the heart-pounding moment the vessel had to outrun a charging hippo.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Did Stevens outrun the final polls, in part, because some Democrats thought El-Sayed’s supporters were obnoxious?
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of outrun
Verb
  • The news quickly spread as yet another harbinger of AI’s promise—or threat—of outpacing humans to become a dominant, disruptive force in math and computer science.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2026
  • As agents proliferate, these machine-to-machine trust relationships can quickly outpace the teams responsible for discovering, scoping, owning and rotating them.
    — Eric Fourrier, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of outpace
Verb
  • Asking for feedback is only one step of the process in bettering your organization.
    — Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • Gogel rose 12 places with his 7-under 63, bettered only by Scotland's Stephen Gallacher in fifth with an 8-under 62, which included nine birdies.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 July 2026
Definition of better
Verb
  • Navarro outraced the defense to a through ball played ahead by Paxten Aaronson and beat goalkeeper Drake Callender one on one from near the penalty spot to give the Rapids a 1-0 lead.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 May 2026
  • Maxi Moralez played a first-touch pass to the edge of the area and Fernández, who outraced the defense to the ball and scored from the right corner of the 6-yard box to give NYCFC a 2-1 lead in the 35th minute.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
Definition of outrace
Verb
  • She was outshined in her own movie by Pugh’s Yelena, and Thunderbolts was a better film than Black Widow by quite a wide margin.
    — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • That is, until a star gets too close and is shredded in an incredibly bright TDE that can outshine the combined light of every star in the supermassive black hole's host galaxy.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of outshine
Verb
  • To get there, oil may need to surpass $150 – well beyond its all-time high.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The addition of Skubal further safeguards them at a time when Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are working their way back from injuries and Justin Wrobleski has already surpassed his career high in innings.
    — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of surpass
Verb
  • The collaboration between Hinkel and the Bethels transcends normal industry partnerships.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Sometimes, a franchise sticks around long enough to transcend criticism.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of transcend

Browse Nearby Words

one-twos
one-up
one-upped
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“One-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one-up. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of anecdote

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All