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
Joseph Cox, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024
Ellie can’t help trying to one-up Carrie and turns espresso martini–making into a competition.
—Emma Soren, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2024
The put-upon journalist also finds some time to torment the new fiancée (Reid Scott) of his former flame (Michelle Williams), using his parasitic alter ego to one-up the battle of the sexes.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 23 Oct. 2024
The company behind the game Cards Against Humanity is aiming to one-up Elon Musk with its plan to pay blue-leaning swing-state residents who make voting plans and agree to publicly condemn Donald Trump.
—Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for one-up 
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Verb
Each tries to one-up the other with outrageous advertising and branding.
—Joseph Cox, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024
Ellie can’t help trying to one-up Carrie and turns espresso martini–making into a competition.
—Emma Soren, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2024
The put-upon journalist also finds some time to torment the new fiancée (Reid Scott) of his former flame (Michelle Williams), using his parasitic alter ego to one-up the battle of the sexes.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 23 Oct. 2024
The company behind the game Cards Against Humanity is aiming to one-up Elon Musk with its plan to pay blue-leaning swing-state residents who make voting plans and agree to publicly condemn Donald Trump.
—Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for one-up
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Cite this Entry
“One-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-up. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
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