Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-upping
Verb
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But the dogs kept going, carrying their hunter forward—ice before them, water behind, outrunning the inevitable, all the way home.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
24 Nov. 2025 -
Much of the Season 5 premiere involves Sam, Jay and the ghosts trying to find a way to get rid of Elias all while outrunning his many attempts to end Jay’s life.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Next came Unity—conceived, portentously, in the small Canadian town of Swastika—who, outdoing her sister, developed a girlhood crush on Hitler and moved to Germany to serve the Nazis.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
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Taylor Swift is taking a bow after outdoing everyone — including herself — on the Billboard charts with The Life of a Showgirl this week.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Boeing shares have gained 36% over the last 12 months, outpacing the S&P 500′s nearly 20% advance.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
11 Jan. 2026
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Tech companies poured more than $61 billion into data center investments in 2025, according to S&P Global, fueling concerns that investments may be far outpacing demand.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Anta’s per share offer price isn’t known, and Artémis reportedly expected bids exceeding 40 euros per share.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
8 Jan. 2026
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That ruling, which was recently overturned by an appellate court, stood in stark contrast to the will of Tesla’s shareholders, who have now affirmed the substance of the 2018 CEO Performance Award on three separate occasions, each with support exceeding 75% of votes cast.—
Shane Goodwin,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That measure passed overwhelmingly, by a 2-to-1 majority, easily surpassing that of the original initiative.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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Pomegranates have reached super stature and have been dubbed the new super fruit, surpassing blueberries as the antioxidant of choice for heart health.—
Mary Ann Esposito,
Boston Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Google-parent Alphabet was the most magnificent of the Magnificent Seven; Colombia’s stock market was the surprise leader of the MSCI All Country World Index; silver surged over 141%, outshining its sibling gold, which itself had a phenomenal year.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
5 Jan. 2026
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Sure, maybe country’s shutout in best new artist was due in part to overcrowding between Ella Langley, Zach Top and Megan Moroney, with no one of those country candidates obviously outshining the other two.—
Eric Renner Brown,
Billboard,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Consider boosting your fiber further by topping your oats with additional high-fiber options, such as your favorite high-fiber fruit.—
Regina Windsor,
Verywell Health,
8 Jan. 2026
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Unsurprisingly, topping the list of nominees is Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, with nine nods, closely followed by Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value with eight, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners with seven, and Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet with six.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This explains why about 10% of Mamdani voters were Trump voters in the past, transcending ideological divides to send the same message about the status quo.—
Will Johnson,
Time,
1 Jan. 2026
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The resilience of Nigerians, says Uko, is embodied in Detty December, with music, food, dance and fashion transcending the country’s greatest woes.—
Vanessa Offiong,
CNN Money,
19 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“One-upping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one-upping. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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