one up

¹

adjective

1. having gained an advantage in some way that betokens success, especially over rivals.

2. leading an opponent by one point or one scoring unit.

   The home team was one up on the visitors.

3. one each; tied at a score of one.

   The score was one up in the ninth inning.

adverb

1. Printing.,  with only one reproduction of a form per sheet or on a given sheet.

   We must print this job one up.

2. Journalism.,  using one more column of space than of type.

one-up

²

[wuhn-uhp]

verb (used with object)

one-upped, one-upping 

1. to get the better of; succeed in being a point, move, step, etc., ahead of (someone).

   They one-upped the competition.

one-up

adjective

1. informal,  having or having scored an advantage or lead over someone or something

Word History and Origins

Origin of one-up¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Origin of one-up²

First recorded in 1960–65

Idioms and Phrases

Having an advantage or lead over someone, as in Sara is one up on Jane because she passed algebra in summer school. This expression comes from sports, where it means to be one point ahead of one's opponents. It was transferred to more general use about 1920.

Example Sentences

Chip-making facilities are also running out of space in the clean room to make more HBM, and “because it’s a more complex and involved process,” it can take 18 months to get one up and running, he added.

Read more on MarketWatch

“I had a lot of comments like, ‘Somebody in Netflix marketing really messed this one up!’”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“We’ll clean that one up, too.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The $5.8 billion Brazil ETF is in a tiny category of 18 Latin America stock funds that are on fire this year, with the average one up 38%, according to Morningstar.

Read more on Barron's

His next was another one up in the zone Harper fouled off.

Read more on Los Angeles Times