one up

See also: one-up

English

Alternative forms

• one-up

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Verb

one up (third-person singular simple present one ups, present participle one upping, simple past and past participle one upped)

1. (idiomatic) To outdo, to perform something slightly better than a competitor's prior effort.

   Every year the neighbors try to one-up each other with their holiday lights.

   "Time flies when you're having fun!" said one of the skiers in our party. "Yeah, but time's more fun when you're flying," Jay one-upped.

Translations

do something slightly better than a competitor

• Bulgarian: имам малко преимущество (imam malko preimuštestvo)
• Czech: přetrumfnout pf, zajistit si výhodu pf
• Finnish: pistää paremmaksi, panna paremmaksi
• French: surpasser (fr)
• German: um eine Nasenlänge voraus sein
• Hungarian: leköröz (hu), lepipál (hu), orrhosszal megelőz
• Icelandic: bera af, skara fram úr, (outdo in a debate) reka á stampinn
• Romanian: întrece (ro), depăși (ro)
• Russian: превзойти́ (ru) pf (prevzojtí) (formal), переплю́нуть (ru) pf (perepljúnutʹ) (informal)
• Swedish: bräcka (sv), överträffa (sv), överglänsa, bräda (sv)

Noun

one up (plural one ups)

1. (especially in phrases like "get one up on someone") An advantage over someone.

   WePay wants to get one-up in the mobile payments race with its new iOS app for small businesses.

2. (video games) Alternative spelling of 1-up (“extra life”)

   If you hit that block, you can get a one up.

See also

• get one up on
• go one better
• one-upmanship
• show off
• show up