Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-upping
Verb
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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
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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
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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
Verb
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Hospital spending increased by nearly 10% in both 2023 and 2024, the fastest growth in more than three decades, outpacing inflation and wage growth.—
Anthem Blue Cross California,
Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
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Food prices have climbed nearly 30% since 2019, outpacing 23% for overall consumer prices, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The International Commerce Center, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), was also supposed to rise even taller than its 1,588 feet, but laws forbade it from exceeding the height of the surrounding mountains.—
Nathalie Nietzsche-Knappe,
Architectural Digest,
7 Apr. 2026
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The systems operated successfully in the stratosphere at altitudes exceeding 14 miles (23 kms), where pressure is extremely low and temperatures can drop significantly.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Three months after the Prescott deal, Juan Soto agreed to the biggest-ever contract in MLB, signing a 15-year deal worth a staggering $765m with the New York Mets, surpassing Shohei Ohtani’s $700m deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers announced in late 2023.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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Her season total for points was the fifth-best in program history, surpassing Sophie Cunningham’s 2018-19 mark.—
Aaron Segal,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Alexander-Walker, known more for his defense, is averaging more than 20 points per game after never topping 10 during his eight seasons as a bench player in New Orleans, Utah and Minnesota.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
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After wrapping up his performance of chart-topping classics and ATL anthems with Sleepy Brown, Big Boi made his way from the stage to the Impossible Foods food truck not to eat, at least not right away, but to serve.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trends may come and go at lightning speed, but basics deserve more credit for transcending hype.—
Amber Rambharose,
InStyle,
3 Apr. 2026
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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
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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 Apr. 2026.
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