one-up

1 of 2

verb

ˌwən-ˈəp How to pronounce one-up (audio)
ˈwən-
one-upped; one-upping; one-ups

transitive verb

: to practice one-upmanship on

one up

2 of 2

adjective

: being in a position of advantage
usually used with on

Examples of one-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Verb
But this device arriving potentially at the end of this year is a big deal, and is a one-up on Sony who well, does not have a portable PlayStation device. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025 Making the Oscars funny is a feat in and of itself, but at the end of his monologue, O’Brien one-upped himself with a genuinely heartfelt tribute to what the Oscars mean in the aftermath of the Los Angeles fires. Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 3 Mar. 2025 Reports indicate the Toronto Blue Jays are still in the mix and could attempt to one-up the Mets. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025 Hartlepool United, for example, were re-elected 14 times between 1920 and 1987, the year automatic relegation was introduced, on a one-up/one-down basis. Matt Slater, The Athletic, 4 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for one-up

Word History

Etymology

Verb

back-formation from one-upmanship

First Known Use

Verb

1963, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1919, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of one-up was in 1919

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Cite this Entry

“One-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-up. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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