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
Network correspondents scramble to one-up each other.
—
Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026
Maybe to one-up John Cage and his infamous four minutes, thirty-three seconds of silence, Sun Ra had composed a piece for a band that never comes.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Gary subsequently attempts to one-up his brother by trying — and spectacularly failing — to flip off of the highest point on the set.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Feb. 2026
During a performance, Boone does a flip and Stiller attempts to one-up him, jumping from increasingly higher platforms on stage to disastrous, but humorous, effect.
—Sarah Whitten,sara Salinas,sarah Jackson,leslie Josephs, CNBC, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for one-up
Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026
Maybe to one-up John Cage and his infamous four minutes, thirty-three seconds of silence, Sun Ra had composed a piece for a band that never comes.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Gary subsequently attempts to one-up his brother by trying — and spectacularly failing — to flip off of the highest point on the set.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Feb. 2026
During a performance, Boone does a flip and Stiller attempts to one-up him, jumping from increasingly higher platforms on stage to disastrous, but humorous, effect.
—Sarah Whitten,sara Salinas,sarah Jackson,leslie Josephs, CNBC, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for one-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-up
Verb
-
The sisters’ mission involves a dangerous and violent road trip; the fierce Racine outdoes the sensitive Anaia in her bloodlust, and the drama, reminiscent of classical tragedy, resounds with mythopoetic overtones.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
-
This time around, the Flagstaff builder outdoes itself on both fronts with a pop-up camping topper sized to a 1980 Mini 95 pickup, creating a camping truck that sizes comparably to a Japanese kei camper.—
C.C. Weiss
May 12,
New Atlas,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
This season, coach Arne Slot’s side have become a soft touch, easily played through and often outrun.—
Gregg Evans,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
The possibility of uncertain thought, where the speed of the pen outruns the fine control in the effort to write as fast as one thinks, and one gains a productive illegibility.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
His thoughts tend to outpace his ability to articulate them in a first pass.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
-
Producer prices growth in April outpaced consumer price gains for the first time since July 2022, with OCBC's Xie suggesting companies will absorb a large part of the commodity shock rather than pass it fully to consumers.—
Anniek Bao,Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Morton also went 3-2 as a starter in the playoffs with the Cowboys and 5-5 for his career, matching White (5-5) and bettering Romo (2-4), Prescott (2-5) and Meredith (1-3).—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 May 2026
-
Her 13th place there is unlikely to be bettered at the real thing.—
Jon O'Brien,
Vulture,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Yapi created the opportunity by outracing Carlos Harvey down the left flank.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
11 Aug. 2025
-
May was replaced by Anthony Banda, who was greeted with another two-run triple by Willy Adames (who had already homered to open the scoring in the second inning) and a run-scoring infield single from Lee, who outraced Banda to first base to punctuate a painfully long inning.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 July 2025
Verb
-
In Game 6, Stephon Castle outshined Wembanyama with a game-high 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
-
Wednesday Cramer expects Lowe's, which reports in the morning, to potentially outshine Home Depot given its greater exposure to do-it-yourself consumers in a weak housing market.—
Alexa LoMonaco,
CNBC,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Centering on five boyhood friends reuniting after the death of their beloved basketball coach, director Dennis Dugan‘s film surpassed $270 million at the global box office.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
-
The national debt has surpassed the GDP, Social Security and Medicare face looming financial crises, inflation is rising, families are struggling — and yet Congress does nothing.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Using large-format Polaroid film and primarily shooting in his Paris studio, Roversi’s dream-like and imaginative compositions have been able to transcend time.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
-
The chaos that ensued has seen a clash of play styles, with some players trying to transcend their normal strategies and others falling victim to the same mistakes that have hindered their past quests for victory.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“One-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one-up. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
