How to Use one-up in a Sentence

one-up

verb
  • Clearly, the 170 is about the numbers, and Dodge had to one-up the old Demon.
    — Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 20 Mar. 2023
  • On Princess Cruises’ 2026 world cruise, the line will one-up itself.
    — Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024
  • 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
  • Well now, DeSantis has a new idea to one-up the House of Mouse: turn it into a big house.
    — Tori Otten, The New Republic, 18 Apr. 2023
  • 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
  • But whatever the method, the goal was always to delight and one-up each other.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Only one thing left for the rookie lefty to do after Webb tossed one shutout and Snell one-upped him with a no-hitter.
    — Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2024
  • But on Friday, DraftKings swooped in and offered to one-up the offer with a $195 million all-cash bid.
    — Aaron Pressman, BostonGlobe.com, 16 June 2023
  • Leave it to method-dressing queen Margot Robbie to try and one-up her in a Mugler spring 1996 corset at the Oscars.
    — Alice Newbold, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024
  • While the 2024 Golden Vines pulled out all the stops for wine lovers who gathered from around the world, Miami is set to one-up one of the great wine weekends of the year.
    — Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 13 Dec. 2024
  • While the 2024 Golden Vines pulled out all the stops for wine lovers who gathered from around the world, Miami is set to one-up one of the great wine weekends of the year.
    — Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Chance one-upped his fellow coach by also singing the song with Nadége onstage; the surprise move helped Chance persuade the singer to join his team.
    — USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024
  • All this results in a hotel that wows from the first impression and then one-ups itself at every turn.
    — Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2024
  • All this results in a hotel that wows from the first impression and then one-ups itself at every turn.
    — Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2024
  • Burger King and McDonald’s have been sparring for decades, each trying to one-up the other with cheeky ads and sly digs.
    — Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Alan Cumming is always looking to one-up himself — and not just with his fashion.
    — Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 13 June 2024
  • But little did Pearson know, Key would one-up these references with an ad-lib.
    — Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Oct. 2024
  • Or perhaps someone new (Arch Manning?) one-ups Daniels.
    — Stewart Mandel, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
  • Meanwhile, Stan Edgar stands up to Homelander in a rare verbal drubbing that shows the only way to one-up the psychotic Supe is through words.
    — Gord Magill, Newsweek, 22 Dec. 2024
  • No one was trying to one-up one another, as in the typical writers room.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2023
  • In Season 2, your ex-husband, played by Adam Scott, builds a rocket and attempts to go to space, sort of to impress his ex-wife but also to one-up her.
    — Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 12 July 2024
  • The office environment will feel tense as everyone will be trying to one-up their peers to keep their jobs.
    — Jack Kelly, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023
  • But there's one thing that's more important to Blake: one-upping her hubby in their never-ending troll-fest.
    — Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024
  • Which brings us to this year’s Bruins, who were historically dominant to one-up that Lightning squad to the tune of 65 wins.
    — Amin Touri, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Apr. 2023
  • But what started as mere jabs at the other’s height and hair soon became something more sinister as each rapper tried to one-up the other.
    — C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 9 May 2024
  • These mitts are also waterproof, so your hands will stay safe if hot liquids splash onto your gloves, a one-up over fabric mitts.
    — Parker Hall, WIRED, 29 June 2023
  • World’s fastest monitor There's a competitive air at CES that lends to tech brands trying to one-up each other on spec sheets.
    — Ars Technica, 12 Jan. 2025
  • Shortstop Jorge Mateo also homered — one-upping Henderson with a 433-foot shot to left field for his first home run of the season.
    — Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 4 Apr. 2023
  • 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
  • Near the beginning of the series, Seok-ryu’s mother and Seung-hyo’s mother try to one-up each other by comparing their kids.
    — Regina Kim, Forbes, 21 Sep. 2024

Some of 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.

Last Updated: