one-upping

Definition of one-uppingnext
present participle of one-up
See the Dictionary Definition 

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-upping
Verb
  • Moffa says the first step in navigating grief is to stop outrunning it.
    Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
  • 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
Verb
  • As rumors have flown about this relentless Sacramento parking enforcement officer, Nakamura has quietly patrolled the streets, outdoing himself.
    Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 15 Apr. 2026
  • The Bruins shot a dominant 58% from the field, well outdoing the solid 43% for the Trojans.
    Sean Campbell, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • In their quest to regain control of Congress, Democratic candidates are outpacing Republicans in midterm fundraising for key House and Senate races.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 23 Apr. 2026
  • The technology, both agreed, is outpacing the organizations trying to use it.
    Kennedy French, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Strong demand for air travel pushed sales up nearly 30% from a year ago, also exceeding analyst estimates.
    Kiel Porter, Bloomberg, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Ahead of the meeting, Warsh disclosed financial interests exceeding $100 million.
    Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The bipedal humanoid, developed by smartphone maker Honor, blazed through the 13-mile race in just 50 minutes, 26 seconds, besting all 12,000 human competitors and even surpassing the human world record for a half-marathon, set by Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon last month, by nearly seven minutes.
    Janis Mackey Frayer, NBC news, 19 Apr. 2026
  • That's led to positive results with the Flames surpassing last year's win total and conference win total early on this season.
    Jori Parys, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Driscoll has been seen by Hegseth’s aides as outshining the Defense secretary on prominent policy initiatives.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
  • The quiet ethic often called Minnesota Nice is outshining the intimidation meant to silence dissent.
    Valeng Cha, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Crude prices have surged over 30% since the war broke out, with Brent briefly topping $110 a barrel for the first time in roughly four years, according to LSEG data, before easing on hopes for a breakthrough.
    Anniek Bao, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026
  • What could be better than topping this with vanilla ice cream?
    Patricia S York, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Trends may come and go at lightning speed, but basics deserve more credit for transcending hype.
    Amber Rambharose, InStyle, 3 Apr. 2026
  • But if these movies are progressive allegories of beings transcending their differences, then Hoppers is a surprisingly blunt pushback to that notion.
    David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“One-upping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one-upping. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.

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