Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

one-upmanship

American  
[wuhn-uhp-muhn-ship] / ˈwʌnˈʌp mənˌʃɪp /
Also one-upsmanship

noun

  1. the art or practice of achieving, demonstrating, or assuming superiority in one's rivalry with a friend or opponent by obtaining privilege, status, status symbols, etc..

    the one-upmanship of getting into the president's car pool.
one-upmanship British  
/ wʌnˈʌpmənʃɪp /

noun

  1. informal the art or practice of achieving or maintaining an advantage over others, often by slightly unscrupulous means

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of one-upmanship

First recorded in 1950–55; one up + -manship

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One-upmanship between the partners became a spur for Lennon to try harder, with McCartney responding in kind.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.