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
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True to form, on Friday night Richardson went 45-5, fouled and hit 48-8 before surpassing 49 feet on all of his last three jumps.—
Steve Brand,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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After success domestically, some of China’s biggest carmakers are expanding worldwide, with BYD surpassing Ford in global sales last year—while selling only EVs and hybrids.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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Both teams had playoff probabilities exceeding 85% just a few weeks ago.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Analysts say the biennial auto show in China's capital, which opened to media on Friday, shows how its auto industry is setting the global pace for cutting-edge technologies in areas such as electric vehicles and batteries, eclipsing many foreign brands that used to dominate the global market.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
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What’s next, a robotic baseball player named Babe that swats 500-foot home runs and throws 120 mph pitches, eclipsing Shohei Ohtani’s real-life achievements and commanding a billion dollar contract?—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The event will celebrate its 25th year on the polo fields in Indio, this time with Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G topping the lineup.—
Andrea Domanick,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Plus, the chocolate ganache topping has just a touch of fresh mint flavor.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outdoing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outdoing. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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