How to Use one-up in a Sentence

one-up

verb
  • The next goal is to one-up last season at least in terms of play-in seed.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Over the next half decade, more and more teams worked to one-up each other with their schedule release videos.
    — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 15 May 2026
  • White one-upped her player’s show of affection by wrapping both arms around her.
    — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 27 June 2026
  • That’s a superficial one-up, though, the kind that wins on paper but not in a court of law.
    — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Just watch out for those in your circle trying to one-up your brilliance — this is your moment to lead the chat!
    — Valerie Mesa, People.com, 26 June 2025
  • But whatever the method, the goal was always to delight and one-up each other.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2025
  • But Saturday’s Game 3 one-upped them both.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 8 June 2026
  • But nothing so far has counted as the equivalent of that scene or an attempt to one-up that scene.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
  • These two are constantly one-upping each other.
    — Torrey Hart, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2026
  • They were locked in an aerial arms race, trying to one-up each other with more difficult tricks.
    — Sean Gregory, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
  • No one was trying to one-up one another, as in the typical writers room.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2023
  • One of my favorite scenes is when your characters are one-upping each other while doing a toast.
    — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 24 Feb. 2026
  • 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
  • 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
  • Alan Cumming is always looking to one-up himself — and not just with his fashion.
    — Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 13 June 2024
  • Every season, she one-ups herself, and there’s something crazier.
    — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
  • But little did Pearson know, Key would one-up these references with an ad-lib.
    — Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Oct. 2024
  • The Berenstein Bear's bedrooms are arranged in a one-up, one-down layout.
    — New Atlas, 10 June 2026
  • 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
  • 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, 2 Feb. 2025
  • Throughout the cruise, the pair battle it out, each trying to one-up the other in hopes of winning her affection.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 19 May 2026
  • Clearly, the 170 is about the numbers, and Dodge had to one-up the old Demon.
    — Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 20 Mar. 2023
  • Joe Hendry posed and postured after one-upping Orton at every turn.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 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
  • Each tries to one-up the other with outrageous advertising and branding.
    — Joseph Cox, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Two teammates would one-up him over the ensuing couple of days, producing a pair of shutouts against the Royals.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 28 June 2025
  • 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
  • In an effort to impress her daughter — and one-up her daughter’s nanny — Davis decided to jump.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Kyle is just outing herself as a gossip and is distorting what everyone has to say to try to one-up Dorit in her own life.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Sure, any place full of people trying to network and one-up each other is basically a waking nightmare.
    — Caroline Framke, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025

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.

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