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one-up

verb

Definition of one-upnext
as in to outdo

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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 Season one’s twist that Sugar is an alien recontextualized the entire series, and while there’s a couple cool twists in season two, the writers didn’t try to one-up themselves to that degree. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2026 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 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
  • Many of these employees have been buying homes, often outdoing rival buyers by offering well above the asking price, real estate agents say.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Each of their high-risk, high-reward moves being outdone by what came next.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of outdo
Verb
  • Alas, poor Bryan is about to learn the hard way that change — as the saying goes — is as hard to outrun as an ever-growing zombie rat king with 37 different limbs and a weirdly personal vendetta.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 16 Sep. 2026
  • My own read, after two years of watching vendor roadmaps slip and then compress again, is that the hardware is still outrunning the software.
    — Dax Grant, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of outrun
Verb
  • Companies must capture the benefits of AI without allowing adoption to outpace their ability to understand and govern it.
    — Shane Buckley, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Amodei warned in his essay that AI was rapidly improving itself, through a process known as recursive self-improvement, which threatened to outpace humans’ ability to control it.
    — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of outpace
Verb
  • Yet again, nobody on the field bettered the Bosnian’s 13 defensive contributions, the majority of which came down to his nine clearances.
    — Beren Cross, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Parton dedicated her life and career to bettering the world in so many ways, from her Dollywood theme park to her Imagination Library, which has promoted childhood literacy through delivering millions of books to children.
    — Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of better
Verb
  • Chambliss hits Alexander in stride, allowing the speedy receiver to outrace pursuit to the end zone.
    — Dane Brugler, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of outrace
Verb
  • These monstrous masses are themselves dark, but their formidable gravity violently vacuums up gas and other nearby matter, generating rings of hot, swirling detritus that completely outshine the stars around them.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Kimi Antonelli continues to outshine the rest of the grid with these incredible performances this season.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of outshine
Verb
  • That surpasses the £244m exchanged between Chelsea and Manchester United, which had previously occupied top spot.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • That was enough to establish a new West Virginia state weight record for blue catfish, surpassing the 71-pound fish Michael Ramey caught from the same Ohio River area in May.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of surpass
Verb
  • The Ellis-Beauregard Foundation celebrates the value of art to transcend cultures and engage with diverse communities.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Spouses, children, and parents must carry a grief that transcends the military calendar and cannot be confined to a single day of remembrance.
    — Cristina Johnson, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 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 18 Sep. 2026.

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