one-upmanship
noun [U] /ˌwʌnˈʌp.mən.ʃɪp/ disapprovingDefinition
› a situation in which someone does or says something in order to prove that they are better than someone elseCompeting and contending (non-sporting)Competing in sport
(Definition of one-upmanship noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
Browse related topics
You are looking at an entry to do with Competing and contending (non-sporting), but you might be interested in these topics from the Doing and achieving topic area:
- Abstaining and refraining
- Acting and acts
- Avoiding action
- Becoming better
- Cancelling and interrupting
- Coping and not coping
- Delaying and wasting time
- Describing the leading position
- Efficient and effective
- Expressions telling people to hurry up
- Failing and doing badly
- Failures
- Getting involved for one's own benefit or against others' will
- Hesitating
- Higher and lower points of achievement
- Hurrying and doing things quickly
- Making progress and advancing
- Making things better
- Performing a function
- Potential
- Reacting and responding
- Repeating an action
- Succeeding, achieving and fulfilling
- Success and achievements
- Successful (things or people)
- Surpassing in quality or number
- Taking part and getting involved
- Trying and making an effort
- Unsuccessful (people and things)
- Waiting
- Ways of achieving things
Browse the Dictionary
Browse the Thesaurus
SMART Thesaurus
Synonyms and related words:
- bid noun (OFFER)
- challenge noun (INVITATION)
- competition noun
- competitive adjective
- contend verb (COMPETE)
- contender noun
- contest verb (ATTEMPT)
- contest verb (COMPETE)
- contestant noun (ATTEMPT)
- give sb a run for their money idiom
- go in for sth phrasal verb (COMPETE)
- jostle for sth phrasal verb
- play sb/sth off against sb/sth phrasal verb
- rival verb
- rivalry noun
- run sb close idiom
- scramble verb (MOVE QUICKLY)
- showing noun (PERFORMANCE)
- take sb on phrasal verb (FIGHT)
- try out for sth phrasal verb
Word of the Day
Blog
Read our blog about how the English language behaves.
New Words
Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.
