one-upping

verb

present participle of one-up
as in outrunning

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-upping
  1. outrunning
  2. outdoing
  3. outpacing
  4. exceeding
  5. surpassing
  6. outshining
  7. topping
  8. transcending
Verb
  • As a result, innovation is outrunning supervision.
    — Hersh Shefrin, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
  • The Times reported that Dela Rosa had been in hiding for months but that he was seen publicly on Monday in the Senate building when surveillance cameras captured footage of him outrunning agents seeking to arrest him.
    — Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
Definition of outrunning
Verb
  • View gallery - 3 images IBM has developed the blueprint for producing a processor using sub-1-nanometer (nm) chip technology, outdoing its own efforts to increase efficiency and processing power with 2-nm tech from a few years ago.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 26 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of outdoing
Verb
  • From 2024 to 2025, flex space growth reached almost 7% in New York City, outpacing that of traditional leases.
    — Jeffrey Steele, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • Streetcar ridership had already been on the rise this year, vastly outpacing total passenger rides of previous years.
    — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
Definition of outpacing
Verb
  • Spain has battled frequent and severe heat waves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
  • Europe withers in intense heat Spain has battled frequent and severe heat waves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 104 degrees.
    — Sergio Rodrigo, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
Definition of exceeding
Verb
  • That’s the quickest any center back has been a part of five World Cup clean sheets, surpassing the record of seven by Italian legend Paolo Maldini.
    — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026
  • Businesses have provided direct contributions surpassing $32 million.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
Definition of surpassing
Verb
  • That's good news for stargazers, as the moon will still be visible without outshining the planets nearby.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 July 2026
  • Yet that is what Marco Palestra did, outshining Inter’s Federico Dimarco, who was officially Serie A’s MVP in 2025-26.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 27 June 2026
Definition of outshining
Verb
  • England folded, Norway won 2-0, and ended up topping the group and going to their first World Cup since 1938.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 11 July 2026
  • As horror franchises evolve across installments, there’s a natural tendency for the creatives behind them to overthink things and get a bit too lost in the sauce of mythos and worldbuilding and topping themselves with bigger, juicier scares.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
Definition of topping
Verb
  • Ralph Lauren's two-decade partnership with Wimbledon exemplifies sophisticated luxury marketing, transcending mere sponsorship.
    — Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Like the polo shirt or rugby stripes before it, the soccer jersey is transcending its associations with the sport.
    — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 28 June 2026
Definition of transcending
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.

Browse Nearby Words

one-upped
one-upping
one-ups
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Cite this Entry

“One-upping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one-upping. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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