one-upped; one-upping; one-ups
: to practice one-upmanship on
: being in a position of advantage
—usually used with on
Examples of one-up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Brian Evans, CNBC, 3 Feb. 2025
Studios and streamers, including A24 and Neon, started circling the film, trying to one-up each other in a feverish effort to land the buzzy project.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 Jan. 2025
Coaster war brewing between Six Flags Magic Mountain and relatively unknown European rival
The tilt track revival feels like a throwback to the 1990s coaster wars when parks were constantly trying to one-up each other with the latest coaster gimmick.
—Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register, 20 Jan. 2025
The Ravens one-upped themselves in last week’s playoff blowout of Pittsburgh, too, rolling up 299 yards on the ground.
—Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for one-up 
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.
Verb
Wall Street is looking to see if Palantir Technologies can one-up its last blowout earnings report after the closing bell on Monday.
—Brian Evans, CNBC, 3 Feb. 2025
Studios and streamers, including A24 and Neon, started circling the film, trying to one-up each other in a feverish effort to land the buzzy project.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 Jan. 2025
Coaster war brewing between Six Flags Magic Mountain and relatively unknown European rival
The tilt track revival feels like a throwback to the 1990s coaster wars when parks were constantly trying to one-up each other with the latest coaster gimmick.
—Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register, 20 Jan. 2025
The Ravens one-upped themselves in last week’s playoff blowout of Pittsburgh, too, rolling up 299 yards on the ground.
—Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for one-up
Articles Related to one-up
Dictionary Entries Near one-up
Cite this Entry
“One-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-up. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share