Outbidding

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of surpassing a competing offer by submitting a higher bid occurs frequently in auctions and negotiations
2. The action of exceeding another's offer by making a more advantageous bid is a common tactic within competitive auctions and negotiations
3. The act of placing a bid that exceeds another's in order to win a sale or contract

Etymology: This is an inflected form, so the story is short: "outbidding" is the present participle and gerund of "outbid," which is formed from "out" and "bid." The "out" element comes from Old English "ūt," meaning outward or beyond, and it has long been used to mean surpassing or exceeding someone in some respect. "Bid" is the older word to which that sense is attached, so "outbid" means to offer more than a rival has offered.

Synonyms: overbidding, outdoing