Outbids

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To make a bid that is higher than competing bids in an auction or competitive buying situation
2. To surpass other offers by proposing a greater price in a bidding process
3. To exceed rival bids by offering more money to obtain an item or contract

Etymology: "Outbids" is the third-person singular present form of "outbid", so the thing to explain is the verb itself. It is formed from "out" and "bid". The "out" element comes from Old English "ūt", which carried the sense of being outside or beyond, and it has been attached to verbs since Old English to mean surpassing or exceeding someone in some respect. "Bid", the older base, is an ancient verb meaning to offer or to command, and in English it developed the commercial sense of offering a price at an auction or sale. Put together, "outbid" describes making a higher offer than a rival, so "outbids" describes someone doing that at this moment in the present tense. The word follows the familiar pattern of English verbs built with "out-", such as "outrun" and "outlast", where the prefix means going beyond or surpassing.

Synonyms: outbids