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upmanship

[ uhp-muhn-ship ]

/ ˈʌp mənˌʃɪp /

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noun

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Also ups·man·ship

[uhps-muhn-ship]. /ˈʌps mənˌʃɪp/.

Origin of upmanship

First recorded in 1960–65; shortening of one-upmanship

Words nearby upmanship

uplifting, uplight, uplighter, uplink, upload, upmanship, upmarket, upmost, Upolu, upon, up one's alley

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use upmanship in a sentence

The duo often engages in silly games of comedy one-upmanship, resulting in some truly hilarious impersonations.
21 Best Celebrity Self-Parodies in Honor of ‘This is the End’|Marlow Stern|June 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Too often we focus on one-upmanship and demonization of those whose points of view are different from our own.
Roland Martin Made Mistakes in Tweets Deemed Antigay but Is No Homophobe|Phill Wilson|February 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
And both are studded with rococo set pieces of ruthless masculine one-upmanship.
Clueless for Boys|Liesl Schillinger|July 6, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The gesture strikes me as hostile, and vaguely chauvinistic; how pathetic, I think, that his impulse is one-upmanship.
The Art of Silence|Casey Schwartz|May 6, 2010|DAILY BEAST

A call girl's idea of one-upmanship—which is far more beneficial to the men she sees—is being more discreet than the next girl.
Call Girls Out-Class Mistresses|Tracy Quan|December 6, 2009|DAILY BEAST