as in to outdo
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of one-up
Network correspondents scramble to one-up each other.
—
Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026
Maybe to one-up John Cage and his infamous four minutes, thirty-three seconds of silence, Sun Ra had composed a piece for a band that never comes.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Gary subsequently attempts to one-up his brother by trying — and spectacularly failing — to flip off of the highest point on the set.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Feb. 2026
During a performance, Boone does a flip and Stiller attempts to one-up him, jumping from increasingly higher platforms on stage to disastrous, but humorous, effect.
—Sarah Whitten,sara Salinas,sarah Jackson,leslie Josephs, CNBC, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for one-up
Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026
Maybe to one-up John Cage and his infamous four minutes, thirty-three seconds of silence, Sun Ra had composed a piece for a band that never comes.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Gary subsequently attempts to one-up his brother by trying — and spectacularly failing — to flip off of the highest point on the set.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Feb. 2026
During a performance, Boone does a flip and Stiller attempts to one-up him, jumping from increasingly higher platforms on stage to disastrous, but humorous, effect.
—Sarah Whitten,sara Salinas,sarah Jackson,leslie Josephs, CNBC, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for one-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-up
Verb
-
Congress—rather than acting as a constitutional check—has chosen blind devotion, competing to outdo itself in displays of loyalty.—
John Whitehead,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 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,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The psychological thriller follows a traumatized WWII veteran who tries to outrun a dark secret during the infamous 1976 British summer drought.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
-
That choice gives the brand a steady tone, which matters in a field where hype can outrun caution.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For the 20th straight season, the SEC outpaced its fellow conferences with the most NFL Draft picks.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
By the end of the night, those five points outpaced the Rockets’ three total bench points.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rare is the Broadway season that hasn’t been bettered by an August Wilson revival, and this very busy spring is no exception.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, bettering the previous men’s world record by an astonishing 65 seconds.—
ap,
Bloomberg,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Yapi created the opportunity by outracing Carlos Harvey down the left flank.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
11 Aug. 2025
-
May was replaced by Anthony Banda, who was greeted with another two-run triple by Willy Adames (who had already homered to open the scoring in the second inning) and a run-scoring infield single from Lee, who outraced Banda to first base to punctuate a painfully long inning.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 July 2025
Verb
-
Hegseth and Vance’s differences extend to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a close friend of Vance’s who at times has outshone the Pentagon boss.—
Michael Scherer,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The corona is extremely faint compared to the luminous disk of the sun, which outshines it a million times, unless hidden behind special instruments called occulters.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This expansion comes amid a record 12 million visitors across California’s nine national parks in 2025, surpassing previous attendance records.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Perez now sits 10 homers shy of surpassing Hall of Famer George Brett for the franchise record.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That transcends socioeconomic culture.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
By saying a lot of the quiet parts out loud, the sequel actually transcends the trap of cringe fashion depictions to become, simply, an entertaining sequel.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“One-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one-up. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
