outplay

verb

out·​play ˌau̇t-ˈplā How to pronounce outplay (audio)
outplayed; outplaying; outplays

transitive verb

: to play better than
especially : to outdo in playing a game
The Knicks took a 21-point lead in the first half, gave up 18 consecutive points in the third quarter, but outplayed the Kings down the stretch to win … The Times Union (Albany, New York)

Examples of outplay in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Five days after beating Arizona on its home court, USC was outplaying the Wildcats again with sticky defense and a snail’s pace that favored the Trojans. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Tagovailoa’s representation, Athletes First, could make the case that Tagovailoa outperformed Hurts in general last season and outplayed Herbert and Burrow in 2023 before each of their season-ending injuries. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2024 But the Wolves have thoroughly outplayed opponents for two or even three quarters of games recently, only to collapse late and turn wins into losses. Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 9 Feb. 2024 By the end of the year, Walker had outplayed Nijman and won the job. Rob Reischel, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Harris-Smith set career highs in points (17) and field goals (seven) and compiled six rebounds and three assists in nearly 32 minutes, outplaying Traore and senior point guard Jahari Long, who started in Harris-Smith’s place. Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2024 Still, here is a group that mostly outplayed Barcelona at home in the league—somehow losing with almost the last kick of the game. Henry Flynn, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 There are also daily monster stack tournaments in which each player starts off with a massive amount of chips, giving skilled players more opportunity to outplay their competition. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2024 Maryland: The Terps had some success on the offensive boards but were badly outplayed otherwise. Noah Trister, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'outplay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1702, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of outplay was in 1702

Dictionary Entries Near outplay

Cite this Entry

“Outplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outplay. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

outplay

verb
out·​play
(ˈ)au̇t-ˈplā
: to play better than
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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