Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-upping
Verb
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George gathers a defensive rebound, and Sarr, who starts this sequence underneath his defensive backboard, sprints upcourt, outrunning his Knicks counterpart, Karl-Anthony Towns.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026 -
The Timberwolves were outrunning the Jazz at home with a 23-9 advantage in fast-break points through three quarters, but couldn't sustain that effort in the fourth.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Nicole Kidman is batting 1,000 with her recent red-carpet and street style looks, but recently she's been outdoing herself with my favorite glam of her career.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
15 Feb. 2026
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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
Verb
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Small caps are also outpacing large-cap stocks.—
Fred Imbert,
CNBC,
18 Feb. 2026
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Pokémon cards are soaring in value—outpacing even Nvidia Paul is not alone in his embrace of Pokémon cards.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Ice accumulations of at least one-tenth of an inch are possible, with localized amounts exceeding one-quarter inch in parts of northern Michigan, according to the Weather Prediction Center winter weather forecast.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
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Some areas could see wind gusts approaching or exceeding 60 mph with relative humidity dropping near or below 10%, creating conditions where fires can spread rapidly.—
Callie Zanandrie,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Pokémon is the world’s highest-grossing media franchise, surpassing even Disney and Star Wars.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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And Gamson’s college buddy Fred Maher, a drummer for Lou Reed, Richard Hell, and the avant-funk band Material, who, like Gartside, saw how the new electronic pop was surpassing the musical adventurousness of his old post-punk comfort zone.—
Andy Cush,
Pitchfork,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The quiet ethic often called Minnesota Nice is outshining the intimidation meant to silence dissent.—
Valeng Cha,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
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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
Verb
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This kind of careful pruning is superior to topping, which results in weak and spindly growth and shortens a tree's lifespan.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
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From topping tacos and chips to upgrading burgers and grain bowls, the mealtime opportunities are endless.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The history of these matchups speaks for itself, tracking back generations and transcending the sport itself.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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The reissue features a pair of great new remixes, one transcending the corporate madness and the other peering deep inside its dark core.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
7 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“One-upping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one-upping. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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