Definition of «one-upping»

"One-upping" is the social behavior of constantly trying to outdo or surpass what someone else has said or done. It describes a competitive conversational style where a person responds to another's story with a "better" or more extreme version of their own. This is generally viewed as an annoying or narcissistic trait, as it shifts the focus away from the original speaker. The term captures the petty nature of trying to maintain a sense of superiority in trivial social interactions.