Definition of One-upmanship

1. Noun. The practice of keeping one jump ahead of a friend or competitor.

Generic synonyms: Pattern, Practice

Definition of One-upmanship

1. Noun. (idiomatic) The art or practice of successively outdoing a competitor. ¹

2. Noun. (idiomatic) A succession of instances of outdoing a competitor. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of One-upmanship

one-time pad
one-to-one
one-track
one-track mind
one-trick pony
one-trillionth
one-two
one-two-three
one-two punch
one-two punches
one-twos
one-up
one-up-one-down
one-up-one-downs
one-uped
one-upmanship (current term)
one-way
one-way light time
one-way mirror
one-way mirrors
one-way street
one-way ticket
one-window
one-woman(a)
one-year
one C
one L
one after another
one after the other
one and all

Literary usage of One-upmanship

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage by Inc. Merriam-Webster (1994)
"... and one-up from one-upmanship. It has been an active process for quite a long time and has given us burgle (1870) from burglar, peddle (1532) from ..."

2. Education in Retrospect: Policy and Implementation Since 1990 by Andre Kraak, Michael Young (2001)
"... the issues that will lift discussion out of the rancours of political one-upmanship.The section that follows will examine the way that one particularly ..."

3. Turn of the Century: 2100 by Charlie Pedersen (2007)
"... but be sure everyone understands that we could blow this with any attempt at one-upmanship. This is history, so let's behave accordingly. ..."

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