as in surpassing
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 outdoing
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
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
Inside was a spectacle of epic proportions, somehow outdoing even the LED not-robot from earlier.
—Jhair Romero, Houston Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2026
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
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
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
Brands large and small spent much of the last 12 months outdoing each other in China, creating immersive experiences that tapped into local culture in a bid to woo aspirational customers, who have only just begun loosening their purse strings in what remains a difficult macro-economic environment.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 15 Apr. 2026
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
Inside was a spectacle of epic proportions, somehow outdoing even the LED not-robot from earlier.
—Jhair Romero, Houston Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2026
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
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
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
Brands large and small spent much of the last 12 months outdoing each other in China, creating immersive experiences that tapped into local culture in a bid to woo aspirational customers, who have only just begun loosening their purse strings in what remains a difficult macro-economic environment.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outdoing
Verb
-
The newest member of the Dream became the fastest player in WNBA history to record 50 career double-doubles during Saturday’s season-opening win over the Minnesota Lynx, surpassing a mark previously held by WNBA legend Tina Charles.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
-
Then, in 2017, Tesla mainstreamed the Model S with the more affordable Model 3, surpassing the erstwhile eco-warrior favorite Prius.—
Brooke Crothers,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Doe is seeking damages exceeding $75,000, along with other punitive damages and other relief to be determined at trial.—
Lexi Nicklaus,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Both teams had playoff probabilities exceeding 85% just a few weeks ago.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Celebrini, 19, finished fourth in the NHL with 115 points, eclipsing Joe Thornton’s single-season team record of 114 set in 2006-07.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
-
Restaurants reigned as Amex’s single biggest travel and entertainment spending category coming out of COVID, rising from a distant third two years before, and eclipsing the traditional leaders, hotels and airfare.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
In 2026, the pace of deals has kicked into overdrive, with Nvidia already topping $40 billion in commitments and expanding its portfolio to include more public equities.—
Kristina Partsinevelos,Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
9 May 2026
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This season, however, most cases have been found in the country’s central region, with the province of Buenos Aires topping the highest number of cases with 42.—
Gonzalo Zegarra,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outdoing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outdoing. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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