outdo
Americanverb (used with object)
-
outdoes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
outdid,
past
-
outdone,
past participle
-
outdoing
present participle
verb
Synonym Usage
See excel.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
outdosimple
-
outdoessimple
-
have outdoneperfect
-
has outdoneperfect
-
am outdoingprogressive
-
are outdoingprogressive
-
is outdoingprogressive
-
have been outdoingperfect progressive
-
has been outdoingperfect progressive
Past
-
outdidsimple
-
had outdoneperfect
-
was outdoingprogressive
-
were outdoingprogressive
-
had been outdoingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of outdo
Explanation
To outdo is to beat or surpass: when you outdo your brother in a pie-eating contest, you manage to gobble down more lemon meringue than he does. You'll probably regret it later, but at least you'll have that blue ribbon! Anyone who outdoes another person wins against them in some contest, whether it's an actual competition or an unstated rivalry. You can also outdo your own record, like when you outdo last semester's grades with the help of all the As you get in English. And you can cheer for your favorite basketball team as they outdo their opponents by easily winning the game.
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.
See Examples For:
The New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq have spent years trying to outdo each other as they compete for the hottest new listings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
However, even the Defense Department’s calisthenics-addled secretary has managed to outdo himself.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
"It's clear just how passionate Messi still is for football and you can tell it's in his DNA to always be a competitor, and to try and outdo himself more than anyone else," Giroud says.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
CEO transitions not linked to activists saw the companies’ stocks outdo the S&P 500 by 2.5% the first year and 4% after two years.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
Dany felt disappointed, but Quaro liked his sausage so well he decided to have another one, and Rakharo had to outdo him and eat three more, belching loudly.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Just when you think Timothée Chalamet can't surprise audiences anymore on his absurd "A Complete Unknown" press tour, he outdoes himself.
From Salon ● Jan. 16, 2025
"Considering that Fernando, he has done a very good job, like he normally does. He is a little special in that respect and outdoes a little bit the potential of the cars."
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2024
And the plagiarism that these AI algorithms partake in is so subtle that it outdoes plagiarism in the ordinary sense: it takes other people’s work and synthesizes sources in ways typically untraceable.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 28, 2023
But somehow it outdoes everything that has come before with its mix of technical proficiency, emotional stakes and Looney Tunes-style tumbles.
From New York Times ● Mar. 29, 2023
It employs not only permissible cunning but conscious lies and intentional deception against the enemy, and this to a degree which apparently outdoes what was customary in previous wars.
From Reflections on War and Death by Sigmund Freud
He said at that time that a sandwich intended to compete with Popeye’s was in the works, with “a very large hand-breaded chicken breast” that he suggested outdid rival sandwiches in size.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
Sax outdid himself by also designing a trumpet with 13 bells; this instrument, later built by his son Adolphe-Édouard, resembles a brass Hydra.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
This year, Schmitt, a sitting senator, outdid them both.
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2025
His son, Danny Shayes, outdid Dad in career longevity, playing 18 years through 1999 for seven teams, including a short stint with the Lakers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2025
Warrant Officer Swart outdid himself in preparing a feast, and he did not even get upset when I permitted some of the grandchildren to eat their sweets before their main course.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Not to be outdone, Mr. Hinton has been speculating for a couple of years about the prospect for total human extinction at the hands of AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Not to be outdone, Ohtani led off the fifth inning with a single, but the Dodgers failed to score.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Not wanting to be outdone by the other, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland all came out of the blocks firing in their respective nations' opening fixtures.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
As he told Womack, “As soon as I knew what music was, I immediately became obsessed with The Beatles. Within a few years we had completely outdone our parents in terms of fandom.”
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
“And two rhymes this time! Penny old girl, you have outdone yourself.”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
But the “Tron: Ares” soundtrack, composed under the moniker of Reznor and Ross’ band, Nine Inch Nails, achieves the unconventional feat of outdoing the movie instead of merely accompanying it.
From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2025
But it is new territory for England to arrive with a group capable of matching - or even outdoing - the hosts for velocity.
From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2025
That makes India a key market for planemakers, especially Airbus which has bagged the bulk of new orders, outdoing U.S. rival Boeing, and engine manufacturers whose wares will be put to test.
From Reuters ● Jun. 20, 2023
CNN’s shot-filled celebration with Cohen and Anderson Cooper reached 3.3 million viewers between 11 p.m. and 12:30 a.m., outdoing Fox News Channel’s Nashville-based show, which had 2.1 million people watching.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 5, 2022
But nothing compared to the cries that now emanated from the triplets, each outdoing the other.
From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord
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