one-upping

Definition of one-uppingnext
present participle of one-up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-upping
Verb
  • 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
  • As the administration prepares for another year of governing—and another season of fiscal showdowns on Capitol Hill—the question is shifting from whether the debt is growing too fast to how long the world’s largest economy can keep outrunning its own balance sheet.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
  • Growth in services consumption outpacing goods expenditure largely reflects rising average income levels and would likely have occurred even without policy support, said Duncan Wrigley, chief China economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
    Anniek Bao, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
  • The stock is climbing because revenue growth is currently outpacing the large expenditure.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Five elite wing suit flyers navigate an opening in the world’s tallest hotel at speeds exceeding 124 mph.
    Tricia Escobedo, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Output climbed by 8% to an all-time high of almost 890,346 tons last year, according to data released by Mines and Minerals Development Minister Paul Kabuswe, who’s confident Zambia can fulfill its ambition of exceeding 1 million tons in 2026.
    Taonga Mitimingi, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The Spaniard also become the youngest man in the Open Era to seal seven grand slam titles, surpassing the record previously held by Bjorn Borg.
    Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
  • Djokovic surpassing Rosewall’s record would also highlight how the tennis world has been desensitized to his evergreen brilliance.
    Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
  • From the pudding to the fluffy meringue topping, this recipe is made totally from scratch.
    Josh Miller, Southern Living, 1 Feb. 2026
  • In addition to topping the Netflix charts, its soundtrack has spent several weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart.
    Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 1 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
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 2 Feb. 2026.

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