one-upped; one-upping; one-ups
: to practice one-upmanship on
always trying to one-up each other by buying the latest gadgets
: being in a position of advantage
—usually used with on
He finished his assignment early, which put him one up on me.
Examples of one-up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
Throughout the cruise, the pair battle it out, each trying to one-up the other in hopes of winning her affection.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 19 May 2026
Over the next half decade, more and more teams worked to one-up each other with their schedule release videos.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 15 May 2026
That’s a superficial one-up, though, the kind that wins on paper but not in a court of law.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for one-up
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Verb
The confidence was back, bolstered by a heady evening spent emotionally one-upping one another.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
Throughout the cruise, the pair battle it out, each trying to one-up the other in hopes of winning her affection.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 19 May 2026
Over the next half decade, more and more teams worked to one-up each other with their schedule release videos.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 15 May 2026
That’s a superficial one-up, though, the kind that wins on paper but not in a court of law.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for one-up
Cite this Entry
“One-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-up. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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