outdo

[ out-doo ]

/ ˌaʊtˈdu /

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verb (used with object), out·did, out·done, out·do·ing.

to surpass in execution or performance: The cook outdid himself last night.

RELATED WORDS

beaten, defeated, bettered

Nearby words

outdare, outdate, outdated, outdid, outdistance, outdone, outdoor, outdoor relief, outdoors, outdoorsman, outdoorswoman

Origin of outdo

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at out-, do¹

SYNONYMS FOR outdo

See excel.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR outdo ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for outdone

When they subsequently managed to fingerprint her, she seemed to have outdone Dillinger.
The Mystery Woman Who Tried to Outdo Dillinger|Michael Daly|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not to be outdone, North Korea bans all religious practice of any kind.
State Department Highlights Actual Oppression Against Christians|Jay Michaelson|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not to be outdone, South Korea has a small drone of its own, one with perhaps the best drone name ever: Devil Killer.
Smoke Rings, Mystery Backpacks and Gun-Toting Robots: The Weird Wartech of the Korean Conflict|Kyle Mizokami|April 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, and the State Department were not to be outdone by their domestic critics.
Cut the Baloney on Ukraine|Leslie H. Gelb|March 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He now seems to have outdone himself with the attack on the Army School.
Who Is Fazlullah? The Pakistani Mullah Who Targeted Malala|Michael Daly|November 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Grey found it difficult to follow close, but he was determined that he would not be outdone.
The Long Patrol|H. A. Cody
St. Louis means to outdo Chicago, and this time Chicago will surely be outdone.
In to the Yukon|William Seymour Edwards
I asked, not to be outdone in the matter of formal politeness.
Hearts and Masks|Harold MacGrath
It was a deed the boldness of which has never been outdone by any of a like nature—not even the famous attack upon Panama itself.
Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates|Howard Pyle
"The blinkin' tent," cried another, not to be outdone in speculative intelligence.
Mrs. Bindle|Hebert Jenkins

British Dictionary definitions for outdone

outdo

/ (ˌaʊtˈduː) /

verb -does, -doing, -did or -done

(tr) to surpass or exceed in performance or execution

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