as in surpassed
to be greater, better, or stronger than
two vaccine developers who spent years vigorously trying to outdo one another's research
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Recent Examples of outdid
Of course, Carly’s kitsch far outdid her neighbors’ in its oddness, luridness, lavishness.
—
Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 2 May 2026
Somehow, though, the Royals outdid themselves Monday night with a nauseating defeat — one that conjured the immortal wisdom of former Royals manager Buddy Bell.
—Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2026
In an administration full of SNL cold opens waiting to happen, Pete Hegseth really outdid himself this week — and Colin Jost wasn’t even in the room.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
With its substantial political resources and $22 million in spending — perhaps even more — AIPAC far outdid other groups in outside spending in Black and underserved communities.
—Jesse Jackson Jr, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
James outdid himself later in the same game against Cleveland — taking flight to slam a lob from Austin Reaves.
—Megan Armstrong, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
When, in 1941, Rodin performed in an evening of Shakespeare scenes, the émigré newspaper Aufbau raved that his Puck outdid Rooney’s.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
Basically, Bath & Body and Disney really outdid themselves on this collab.
—Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 11 Feb. 2026
Each day somehow outdid the last.
—Sandy Pierre, Refinery29, 29 Jan. 2026
Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 2 May 2026
Somehow, though, the Royals outdid themselves Monday night with a nauseating defeat — one that conjured the immortal wisdom of former Royals manager Buddy Bell.
—Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2026
In an administration full of SNL cold opens waiting to happen, Pete Hegseth really outdid himself this week — and Colin Jost wasn’t even in the room.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
With its substantial political resources and $22 million in spending — perhaps even more — AIPAC far outdid other groups in outside spending in Black and underserved communities.
—Jesse Jackson Jr, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
James outdid himself later in the same game against Cleveland — taking flight to slam a lob from Austin Reaves.
—Megan Armstrong, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
When, in 1941, Rodin performed in an evening of Shakespeare scenes, the émigré newspaper Aufbau raved that his Puck outdid Rooney’s.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
Basically, Bath & Body and Disney really outdid themselves on this collab.
—Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 11 Feb. 2026
Each day somehow outdid the last.
—Sandy Pierre, Refinery29, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outdid
Verb
-
In the sixth inning, Kansas City Royals star Salvador Perez surpassed Hall of Famer George Brett with his 137th career home run at the club’s home venue.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
19 June 2026
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None of the Senate candidates surpassed the 50% threshold required to win, and Ossoff and Warnock headed to a January 2021 runoff against their Republican opponents.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Even more frightening, the percentage exceeded 50% in many groups, including insects, terrestrial vertebrates, and marine species.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
21 June 2026
-
By early 2023, the backlog exceeded a hundred thousand.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
20 June 2026
Verb
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Before ending his career, Tanter witnessed another Laker capture the all-time scoring record as James eclipsed Abdul-Jabbar's 38,287 points.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
-
The group’s commercial success in later years eclipsed the band’s experimental origins.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
In Asia, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 briefly topped 70,000 for the first time Tuesday before trimming early gains after the Bank of Japan raised its key interest rate to 1%.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
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They are ranked 28th by FIFA and topped their qualifying group with eight wins in 10 qualifier matches.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outdid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outdid. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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