one-upmanship: Meaning and Definition of

one-up•man•ship

Pronunciation: (wun'up'mun-ship"), [key]
— n.
  1. the art or practice of achieving, demonstrating, or assuming superiority in one's rivalry with a friend or opponent by obtaining privilege, status, status symbols, etc.: the one-upmanship of getting into the president's car pool.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
See also: