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Synonyms

one up

1 American  

adjective

  1. having gained an advantage in some way that betokens success, especially over rivals.

  2. leading an opponent by one point or one scoring unit.

    The home team was one up on the visitors.

  3. one each; tied at a score of one.

    The score was one up in the ninth inning.

adverb

  1. Printing. with only one reproduction of a form per sheet or on a given sheet.

    We must print this job one up.

  2. Journalism. using one more column of space than of type.

one-up 2 American  
[wuhn-uhp] / ˈwʌnˈʌp /

verb (used with object)

one-upped, one-upping

  1. to get the better of; succeed in being a point, move, step, etc., ahead of (someone).

    They one-upped the competition.
one-up British  

adjective

  1. informal having or having scored an advantage or lead over someone or something

"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
one up Idioms  

  1. Having an advantage or lead over someone, as in Sara is one up on Jane because she passed algebra in summer school. This expression comes from sports, where it means to be one point ahead of one's opponents. It was transferred to more general use about 1920.

Etymology

Origin of one up1

First recorded in 1920–25

Origin of one-up2

First recorded in 1960–65

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.

Airlines love to one up each other when it comes to new perks for big-spending business travelers and vacationers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

After all, little free libraries are worldwide and a great way to off-load and, if you’re lucky, pick one up too.

From Slate • Mar. 8, 2026

And there is no plan to set one up, according to the K-beauty Industry Association, the only K-beauty trade body officially approved by the South Korean government.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2025

The $5.8 billion Brazil ETF is in a tiny category of 18 Latin America stock funds that are on fire this year, with the average one up 38%, according to Morningstar.

From Barron's • Oct. 8, 2025

She had to look that one up to make sure it was an actual word.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

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.