Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To do more or better than (another) in performance or action. synonym: excel.
- idiom (outdo oneself) To do something exceptional or superb, especially in relation to past efforts.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To excel; surpass; perform beyond.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To go beyond in performance; to excel; to surpass.
- transitive verb to surpass one's own previous best performance.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To
excel ; go beyond in performance;surpass .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb get the better of
- verb be or do something to a greater degree
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Meanwhile, the company has seen its DVD sales of other titles outdo those of rivals because of its younger-skewing audience.
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Nir Rosen, a fellow at the New York University Center for Law and Security, has appropriately quit after his callous Twitter comments, including a statement, "i'm rolling my eyes at all the attention she will get," and another one stating that she was trying to "outdo" CNN's Anderson Cooper, who was beaten up on the streets of Cairo.
Asra Q. Nomani: Lara Logan: 'A Kick in the Gut' Asra Q. Nomani 2011
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Isn't it ridiculous to think that you can 'outdo' the original source?
Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland to Be More Engaging/Psychological | /Film 2008
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Its an old past time to sit around and try to "outdo" each other's basic stories.
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Today he was worried that today's younger generation won't "outdo" their forebearers in terms of quality of life.
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Perhaps she can't afford to buy such things and feels a bit inadequate, but is unable to see that these gifts are to make a little boy happy, not to 'outdo' her in any way.
WalesOnline - Home 2011
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Researchers also looked for evidence of couples criticizing each other's parenting or trying to "outdo" each other in their efforts to work with the child.
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The Charlton purchase may have been motivated by a desire not to be seen to "outdo" Abu Dhabi United Group by taking over England's most decorated club.
Football news, match reports and fixtures | guardian.co.uk 2008
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The Charlton purchase may have been motivated by a desire not to be seen to "outdo" Abu Dhabi United Group by taking over England's most decorated club.
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The Charlton purchase may have been motivated by a desire not to be seen to "outdo" Abu Dhabi United Group by taking over England's most decorated club.
Football news, match reports and fixtures | guardian.co.uk 2008
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