as in to outdo
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Recent Examples of one-up
For those with sensitive ears, over the next week NBA media coverage will blast the one-year anniversary of the worst trade in the history of professional basketball, a deal that still could potentially one-up the Boston Red Sox sending Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees.
—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Jan. 2026
Wilde delivers a pure-camp performance here, trying to one-up Miranda Priestly with her imperious workplace attitude, cover-girl eyeliner and droll line deliveries.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
In soccer, countries and cities bid to host the Champions League and World Cup finals; the Olympics changes every four years and even the Super Bowl in the NFL moves around the United States, with cities and franchises trying to one-up one another.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Later in the day, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani will try to one-up her as the most radical mayor in the US by burning two Old Glories in Times Square.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for one-up
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Jan. 2026
Wilde delivers a pure-camp performance here, trying to one-up Miranda Priestly with her imperious workplace attitude, cover-girl eyeliner and droll line deliveries.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
In soccer, countries and cities bid to host the Champions League and World Cup finals; the Olympics changes every four years and even the Super Bowl in the NFL moves around the United States, with cities and franchises trying to one-up one another.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Later in the day, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani will try to one-up her as the most radical mayor in the US by burning two Old Glories in Times Square.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for one-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-up
Verb
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Use the hope of warm weather to add pops of color and play with new silhouettes that outdo the heaviness of thick sweaters and bulky coats of the past season.—
Jamie Weissman,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Feb. 2026
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Every show was trying to outdo each other to stay on the air.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For years, Victoria’s Secret tried to outrun its legacy of hyper‑narrow beauty standards with cautious rebrands and empowerment slogans that critics derided as box‑checking.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
16 Feb. 2026
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If humanoid robots can soon outrun and outtrain humans, where should limits be set on how and where they are allowed to operate?—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Republicans also are outpacing their previous early count of 16,062 that year.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Feb. 2026
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Diminishing trust fund reserves The Social Security Administration started tapping into the trust fund reserves in 2021, when the total cost to provide benefits started to outpace the agency's income.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Experts see wellness becoming an even bigger category within the beauty space, and everyone is most interested in ways to better their health.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
19 Feb. 2026
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His 22 per cent accuracy from these crosses is bettered by only 10 players across the league.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Yapi created the opportunity by outracing Carlos Harvey down the left flank.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
11 Aug. 2025
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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
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In the 1990s, Elizabeth Hurley and her bold color choices proved confidence could outshine sequins.—
Alex Badia,
Footwear News,
22 Feb. 2026
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Where the Thule really outshines the competition is its sleek Scandinavian look, durable design, and lightning-fast fold.—
Erica Zazo,
Outside,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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City Hall’s expenses far surpassed its revenues for the past two years.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
26 Feb. 2026
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Looney did not play a single minute, having been surpassed in the rotation by Queen and DeAndre Jordan.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But what helps make Boy George (born George Alan O’Dowd) worthy of mountainside preservation transcends the songs.—
Blair R. Fischer,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
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About how football transcends borders, languages, and generations.—
Jessica Roiz,
Billboard,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“One-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one-up. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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