one-upmanship
noun
one-up·man·ship
ˌwən-ˈəp-mən-ˌship 
variants
or less commonly one-upsmanship
: the art or practice of outdoing or keeping one jump ahead of a friend or competitor
engaged in a round of verbal one-upmanship
Examples of one-upmanship in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet the pair become rivals for the affections of a widowed first-grade teacher (Olivia Williams) and engage in some great one-upmanship shenanigans.
—
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 June 2025
This bizarre love triangle results in Max and Herman (Bill Murray) waging a war of one-upmanship to the sounds of the ‘60s British invasion.
—Shannon Carlin, Time, 30 May 2025
Coop’s former family home, in a neighborhood where houses regularly cost eight figures, is a gray monstrosity, and parties in the community are occasions for exhausting one-upmanship.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
This is a corrupt web of government dysfunction and one-upmanship.
—Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
There is no process publicly anymore, no presumption of innocence, no patience to wait before turning to a game of one-upmanship: Who can best phrase their conclusions in 280 characters?
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2025
The big picture: Parody accounts from Mount Rainier and Mount Hood are trading playful taunts and humorous one-upmanship, comparing body counts and jesting about whether size matters.
—Christine Clarridge, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025
There is a constant need to upgrade their facilities, in the silent race for prestige and primacy of which the constant prize money one-upmanship is just one element.
—Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
In space, a previous gentleman’s agreement on warfare no longer holds sway, while there is a constant fight for one-upmanship in the Arctic and in the race to dominate critical minerals.
—Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Jan. 2025
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Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 June 2025
This bizarre love triangle results in Max and Herman (Bill Murray) waging a war of one-upmanship to the sounds of the ‘60s British invasion.
—Shannon Carlin, Time, 30 May 2025
Coop’s former family home, in a neighborhood where houses regularly cost eight figures, is a gray monstrosity, and parties in the community are occasions for exhausting one-upmanship.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
This is a corrupt web of government dysfunction and one-upmanship.
—Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
There is no process publicly anymore, no presumption of innocence, no patience to wait before turning to a game of one-upmanship: Who can best phrase their conclusions in 280 characters?
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2025
The big picture: Parody accounts from Mount Rainier and Mount Hood are trading playful taunts and humorous one-upmanship, comparing body counts and jesting about whether size matters.
—Christine Clarridge, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025
There is a constant need to upgrade their facilities, in the silent race for prestige and primacy of which the constant prize money one-upmanship is just one element.
—Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
In space, a previous gentleman’s agreement on warfare no longer holds sway, while there is a constant fight for one-upmanship in the Arctic and in the race to dominate critical minerals.
—Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“One-upmanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-upmanship. Accessed 8 Jun. 2025.
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