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
-
Marner leads this postseason with 18 points, surpassing his previous career high of 14.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
Spain clinches top spot for LGBTIA protections For the first time in a decade, Malta lost its spot atop the rankings, with Spain surpassing the archipelago under the leadership of leftist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
As the SpaceX deal surfaced, Cursor was also reported to be in negotiations to bring in a new $2 billion funding round at a valuation exceeding $50 billion.—
Rebecca Fannin,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
-
Tarmac delays exceeding four hours on international flights increased to 77, up from 64 in 2024.—
Bruce Finley,
Denver Post,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
The siblings would, of course, go on to become pop superstars in their own rights in the decades to come, eclipsing the fame of all their brothers and sisters.—
John Russell,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
-
Late in the season, Schaefer set NHL records for goals and points by an 18-year-old defenseman, eclipsing Phil Housley in both categories.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Severe to extreme drought conditions exist in some of the red-flag warning areas, where expected wind gusts topping 55 mph threaten to rapidly spread wildfires.—
Kyle Reiman,
ABC News,
17 May 2026
-
The show was beautifully choreographed with each light display topping the previous one.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado,
Sacbee.com,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outdoing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outdoing. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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