one-upping

present participle of one-up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-upping
Verb
  • In the twenty-first century, Europe’s cocaine market has expanded dramatically, far outrunning those for heroin and synthetic drugs.
    Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Much of the Season 5 premiere involves Sam, Jay and the ghosts trying to find a way to get rid of Elias all while outrunning his many attempts to end Jay’s life.
    Katie Campione, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • The town has long been home to some of the world’s most remarkable ski resorts, each seemingly outdoing the last with grander lobbies, better views, and ever-more attentive service.
    Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Unfortunately, spring weed seeds also tend to germinate quickly in these conditions, outpacing the slow-germinating grass seedlings.
    Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Demand has returned for its x86 processors, outpacing supply—a trend expected to carry on through next year.
    Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Two Milwaukee Democrats want to install technology in repeat reckless drivers' cars to prevent them from exceeding speed limits, similar to breathalyzer devices for OWI offenders.
    Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The complaint refers to offers exceeding $100,000 related to licensing and promotion of trading cards for Brown, who is a junior.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Gold has seen historic gains in 2025, its more-than-50% surge surpassing previous volatile periods such as after the September 11 attacks, the 2008 financial crisis or even the Covid-19 pandemic.
    John Liu, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Even as Westward was forced to file for Chapter 11, the distillery’s sales continued to grow by 53 percent through the end of September (compared to the same period last year), surpassing total sales for 2024.
    Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • However, the monarchy prioritizes tradition, hierarchy and protocol over individuality or outshining other senior royals.
    Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 26 Sep. 2025
  • In that area, his peers were outshining him.
    Ana Karina Zatarain, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The trio has been taking their chart-topping song on the road for live performances on Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
    Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The Chinese marque just announced on Tuesday that the range-topping U9 Xtreme is the fastest production EV in Nürburgring Nordschleife history.
    Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • So much of her work is about love transcending class, not in a cheesy way, but precisely because of the importance of that transcendence.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Elite athletes, though, are often outliers, transcending physiological norms, meaning many can and do perform at lower body fat percentages and remain healthy.
    Megan Feringa, New York Times, 10 Oct. 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 28 Oct. 2025.

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