Word
outdo
To perform better than someone or something else.
Meanings
To do better than someone or something else; to perform or achieve more successfully.
Definition
When you outdo someone or something, you achieve a higher level of performance, quality, or success than them. It means to surpass or exceed what another has done. People often try to outdo each other in competitions, efforts, or creative endeavors.
Examples
- The younger artist consistently tries to outdo her mentor with each new sculpture.
- Many companies strive to outdo their competitors by offering superior customer service.
- He always wants to outdo himself, pushing his own limits in every challenge.
- The chef hoped his new dessert would outdo all previous creations and win the contest.
Common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse "outdo" with "overdo," which means to do something to an excessive degree, rather than to perform better than someone else.
More verbs
- analyze To examine something carefully in order to understand it or explain it.
- scrutinize To scrutinize something is to examine it very carefully and in detail.
- affect To affect something is to influence it or cause it to change.
- allude To allude means to mention or suggest something indirectly without saying it clearly.
- elude To elude someone or something is to avoid being caught, understood, or remembered.