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
Marianne Levine, Washington Post, 28 June 2024
The trend has been popular on social media, with TikTok users one-upping each other for who has gone the longest stretch with the fewest amenities.
—Lilit Marcus, CNN, 28 June 2024
But for Kansas officials, spending would at least leave Missouri and come to Kansas, and one-upping Missouri has its own allure.
—Will Daniel, Fortune, 15 June 2024
Alan Cumming is always looking to one-up himself — and not just with his fashion.
—Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for one-up 
Verb
Yet the debate frequently descended into childish insults, with Trump and Biden seeking to one-up each other up until the end.
—Marianne Levine, Washington Post, 28 June 2024
The trend has been popular on social media, with TikTok users one-upping each other for who has gone the longest stretch with the fewest amenities.
—Lilit Marcus, CNN, 28 June 2024
But for Kansas officials, spending would at least leave Missouri and come to Kansas, and one-upping Missouri has its own allure.
—Will Daniel, Fortune, 15 June 2024
Alan Cumming is always looking to one-up himself — and not just with his fashion.
—Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for one-up
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'one-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“One-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-up. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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